The Red Queen: Crusade
by Dravyn LeCrux
Summary: Sequel to The Red Queen, set five years after the original. After Ruby's failed shot at revenge, the Red Queen has taken Remnant by storm. With the world hunting down the infamous Red Queen of Grimm, will Ruby and her new allies make this world their own? Or will the Queen be dethroned once and for all?
1. Prologue

Recently, Ozpin looked like he'd aged. Glynda wasn't sure of when this thought began, but it had persisted for the past few days. Considering the headmaster's hair was already sort of grey, it was kind of difficult to tell whether or not that was age truly showing on him, or something else entirely. Ruminating on it any further would serve to do her no good, and with a sigh, Glynda decided to let it go from her head. Well, that is until she walked into Ozpin's office to give him some more paperwork, only to find him slumbering peacefully with his head on his desk. Walking briskly over, Glynda slammed the pile of papers down, waking Ozpin with a jolt.

"That's it Ozpin. I've known you for too long, and I'm well aware when something is bothering you. Now, tell me what's wrong." Glynda earnestly pleaded with him, desperate to find out what ailed him and maybe help heal him of it. Too bad there was no cure for what bothered him.

"Glynda," Ozpin sighed out, not wanting to say what was really on his mind. But with how well he and Glynda knew each other, he knew he couldn't hide it much longer. It showed on his haggard and worn face, especially in the stubble that was starting to grow and the dark bags under his once sharp amber eyes. "I could never hide it from you, could I?"

"No, you couldn't," Glynda said with a hint of a smile. "Now, spill."

"Well, lately I've been thinking on, well..." Sighing once more, Ozpin hesitated before continuing. "I've been having dreams. Thanks to them, I can't really sleep well."

"What sort of dreams?"

"Dreams of- well, more like nightmares really. But regardless, they're about Ruby Rose." Upon saying this, Ozpin heard a sharp intake a breath. "Glynda, you know I've made more mistakes than any man, woman, or child on the face of Remnant. And yet while all of them haunt me as they should, this one I still feel is the worst I have ever made."

"But Ozpin, it's not your fault-"

"No," Ozpin said, cutting her off. "It is, Glynda. I was the one who had invited Ruby to Beacon two years early. I saw in her some amazing potential that I honestly couldn't describe back then. She was a gifted huntress, her abilities proving to be rather astounding for her age. Even amongst her peers, most of whom were a couple of years her senior, she could be counted as one of the top. I'm not sure if it was natural talent, or the training she'd received from Qrow. Regardless, she was going to make an amazing huntress." Stopping for a minute to catch his breath, Ozpin was greeted only with silence, as it seemed that Glynda had nothing to respond with. After a short minute, he continued once more. If I had not given her the opportunity to skip the grades, and if I'd just left her in Signal, then none of this wouldn't have happened."

"Ozpin, you don't know that. Jealousy is a normal thing for humans and faunus'. Someone would have eventually still looked at her jealously and tried to harm her as well. It's not like this was all due to your actions."

"Glynda. Regardless, the current situation is my fault. Had I not invited her, and had I not placed her as one of the participants in the Children of Artemis, she never would have been attacked. On top of it all, despite all that has happened, I'm not even sure if I've made the right decisions in how I've handled all of this."

"Ozpin," Glynda said, worry heavy in her tone, "You handled it as best as you could."

"There are a lot who would disagree with you there. Not only have I opted to keep Ruby's identity as the Red Queen of Grimm hidden, but yet I've even let those who survive her wrath remain outside the reach of the law."

"Ozpin, you know just as well as I do that it was a necessary evil to do that! With how many huntsmen and huntresses were lost in the Red Queen Crusades, we needed every last hunter, whether they were in training or not, to replace those who had fallen. And with their talent, you know we had no choice but to allow them back into Beacon, and keep their involvement in the attempted murder of Ruby a secret."

"Glynda, I-"

"No. Human and faunus kind are on the losing end of a long war. Regardless of how hard we fight back, the shadows, the Grimm, are still trying to snuff us out. The light will not hold out much longer if we're so picky with who we choose to have defend it. Even if they defend it with bloodstained hands."

Averting his eyes from Glynda, Ozpin could only look down on his desk with shame in his heart. She was right. She was absolutely, one hundred percent correct, and he knew it. Deep down he knew it, which is why he'd made the decision initially, despite Glynda's protests. Despite how his heart told him he should have let those students deal with the law, let their futures be ruined by their stupid actions and let society shun them for the monster they've created. Despite how much he felt disgusted by their actions, he still let them back. All because deep down he knew that it was necessary.

Walking behind Ozpin, Glynda looked down on the back of them man who was known as one of the greatest hunters living. His accomplishments, as well as his running of Beacon academy have made him a well known figure in the hunter community. And yet now it looked ready to fall apart at any minute. Leaning over, Glynda wrapped her arms around Ozpin's back, as though to assure him that she were still here.

"Please, let it go Ozpin. What's done is done."

"I know, Glynda. I know."

* * *

Signal Academy. A well known school which made it's goal the raising and growth of new hunters in training. Through the halls of this rather famous school have walked many a good huntsman and huntress. And now, through these halls walked a rather bored looking student.

Standing about six feet in height, short messy black hair the color of a raven's plumage. His attire was rather plain and casual, consisting of a black tank top, and worn black trousers, accented with violet stitching along the hems, and in a pattern resembling a simple crescent moon on the right thigh. He wore plain black combat boots with violet stitching, and around his rather thin arms were a metal brace on each. On his wrists were a pair of hand guards, each just plain black. What stood out a lot was that he wore a pitch black scarf, despite it being the middle of summer. Well, the scarf, and his eyes. Eyes that were a rather uncommon color; a striking and vivid violet, almost as though the irises were carved from polished Amethyst.

Swiftly making his way through the halls, the boy tended to avoid the crowd as much as he could while making his way between classes. If anything, the biggest pain came from having to go the long way to actually avoid the rush. Thankfully, he was rather quick on his feet, so time wasn't an issue. It was that he had to worm his way through so many people.

But again, like always, today he made it through the halls and into his next class of the day with relative ease. Advanced Combat Theory 101. His favorite class, really. Unlike most of the others, this class was taught by a rather spirited woman, simply known as Professor King. An odd name, or so most of them thought, but they didn't really care. The students loved her. Despite her height barely coming up to around five and a half feet, if even that, she had energy to spare. There was never a dull moment in her class, and it was a guarantee that nobody ever slept during her lessons.

"Goooood morning students!" Professor King greeted the class with her usual enthusiasm once the bell rang. "I'm so glad to see everyone once again. Let's begin roll call, shall we?" And she began to go through the student's names, usually in no particular order. She said she preffered it this way because she didn't want students whose names began with a 'Z' feeling like they were last, or something like that. After a minute, the boy's attention began to slip. "...la. Alexander Viola. Alex!"

"It's Alec, Miss King. And I'm right here." That's right. His name was Alexander Viola. But he preferred to be called Alec.

"That's Professor, to you." After a quick lecture from her, attendance continued for another two names before class officially began. "Okay, so today, we're going to jump into the lesson rather soon. Due to current events, the headmaster has requested that I teach a lesson on the Red Queen of Grimm. Now, who here has been following the news?" A few hands came up, Alec's included. "Okay then, Alex."

"Alec."

"Alec, then. What can you tell the class about the Red Queen of Grimm?"

"Oi," Alec said, annoyed. He hated standing out, and Professor King knew it. Standing up, Alec began to explain what he knew about the Red Queen of Grimm. "The Red Queen of Grimm, commonly just called the Red Queen, is a known criminal with the designation of danger classification SS~ (Double S). Not much is know about her, save some rather unreliable reports. Her activity was said to have started a little over five years ago, when a town known as Gévaudan, a small settlement a fair distance from here, was found to have been assaulted by some mountain bandits who had been active in the area recently. Despite how obvious the ending of the story should have been, a miracle happened. The bandits, despite having the upper hand on the mostly peaceful villagers, were almost completely slaughtered, leaving few survivors. The remaining bandits mentioned having their group stopped by some little girl with a posse of Grimm following her. Reports on her description ranged, but it was agreed on that she wore a red cloak, carried a scythe, and had red hair. Ever since, however, new reports have long since screwed up the previous known information, leading to nobody having any more knowledge on her appearance besides those facts. Following that incident, the Hunter's Association did an investigation, finding a similar pattern of a human working with Grimm in previous cases involving the death of a former hunter in the mountains, and a couple of others. Ever since, the HA has left a large bounty on her head, leading to a period commonly referred to in the HA as the Red Queen Crusades. Despite sending out numerous hunters, and placing a large bounty on her head, the Red Queen remains uncaught still to this day. Even now, however, the HA still leaves a large bounty on her head, the thought of her gathering an army of Grimm and organizing them causing unrest." Finishing his explanation, Alec took his seat again, ignoring the eyes still on him.

"How, that was detailed. I thought you hated current events Alexander?"

"Alec. And I do, Professor. I just have a vested interest in the Red Queen."

"Why-? Oh, that's right. You-"

"Professor!" Alec jumped from his chair, knocking it back. Hands on his desk, he sent the worst glare he could muster at Miss King, her words bringing up some rather bad memories. Regaining his composure, Alec felt something tugging at his stomach. Dust damnit. She said too much. "Professor, Im not feeling to well. I'll be going to the infirmary." Without waiting for her to agree, he began to walk out of the classroom.

"Oh, alright then... Don't forget to come back later so we can discuss the plans for the team based exercise later."

"Sure."

* * *

In the infirmary, Alec gave some half assed excuse about a stomach flu, and took one of the cots as his own, trying to get a nap in. It's not that what the Professor was saying was anything bad, but they were memories that Alec didn't want his classmates poking and prodding their way in to. After all, if they found out about him, they'd either view him as an interesting "subject" of gossip and rumors, or they would see him as some sort of social pariah. Pulling out his Scroll, Alec set an alarm for an hour later. Plugging in the set of headphones he always had around his neck, and placing them on his ears, Alec allowed himself to drift off, completely sure that the alarm would wake him up as always.

* * *

After a fitful rest filled with screaming, fire, and a lot of red, Alec awoke in the infirmary. Pulling his headphones off, Alec threw them back around his neck, turned off his Scroll's alarm, and began to go back towards class. His timing, it seemed, was impeccable. Entering the classroom, Alec found the class beginning to discuss the exercise planned for later.

"Oh, welcome back Alec. We were about to begin."

"Yeah."

Taking his seat once more, Alec sat down and listened to Professor King begin explaining the details of the activity. While the teacher spoke on, Alec zoned out, only one thought dominating his mind as it had for the past five years and however many days and months. The thought of _her_.

* * *

The exercise, it seemed, was a simple one. Groups of four students would be sent into the forests surrounding Vale, and would be tasked with hunting down at least five Grimm, logging the hunts in their Scroll, along with some sort of proof of victory, and then returning to the school. Alec was grouped with three others, all girls. Despite being in the same grade and class, he hadn't really bothered to memorize any of their names, so he couldn't tell you who they were, even if you gave him time to recollect.

The first girl was a rabbit faunus. Most boys unfortunately have a fetish for the rabbit ears, and she took advantage of that. Long blonde hair, electric blue eyes, and pure white rabbit ears sticking straight from her head, along with the rather revealing outfits she wore, left most boys wrapped around her little finger. Well, most. Alec being a major exception. The second girl was a cat faunus. Her hair was short and black, and she had a kind of tomboyish look going on. Sporty and well known, she was rather popular among the clubs in their year. The last girl was a regular human, like himself. The difference was that she was a shy girl, mostly kept from others. Insanely good grades in Dust Control however. Not much else know but that really.

"Okay then, let's get this assignment over," Rabbit girl said, likely viewing herself as the leader. Oh boy, this was going to suck, and Alec knew it. "You there. What was your name again? Alex? Don't slow us down by staring at me too much, okay?" Her attitude could piss a priest off, that is if he could resist her charm. Too bad for her Alec could, and he was pissed.

"I wouldn't stare at you if you were the last female on Earth. Sagging udders and a poor taste in fashion leave you less desirable than miss mayhem over here," he said, pointing towards the cat faunus girl.

"Why you...!"

"Let's just get this over with, okay? I don't wanna be stuck with you any more than you wanna be away from the masses who give you all of their attention you whore." Finishing his venomous words, Alec began walking in search of some sort of prey. He wasn't joking when he said he wanted this over. He couldn't stand their company, ad they likely couldn't stand his.

Hiking through the woods in search of Grimm wasn't as easy as one would hope, especially since the area had been rather clean lately. Despite this, the teachers still chose this as the location for the activity, leaving Alec wondering just who the hell was coming up with these crappy lessons. After a few minutes, however, he heard what sounded like conflict. Pausing to concentrate, Alec deafened himself to what was around him, searching for the sound of that noise when the girls behind him began a ruckus.

"Hey, what're you stopping for genius?"

"U-uhm... Are you okay?"

"Shush. Can't you hear that?"

"Hear what exactly, you freak?"

"Oh, that's right," Alec muttered to himself. They can't hear as well as he can. "There's someone fighting. It sounds like it's coming from that direction. Let's go."

With that, Alec took off. Not in a full out sprint, but still with some impressive speed. Among his peers, Alec was doubtlessly one of the fastest. Though depending on who you asked, he might just be the fastest. He didn't really know that, as he never really tried, avoiding standing out too much if possible. But right now, not many people were around, so he let himself go more than normal. Not for fun, however, but rather so that he could catch up to the source of the noise. And despite his speed, the girls were doing a good job of keeping up, mostly. After a bit, one of the faunus girls spoke up.

"Oh, now I think I hear it. But wait, how'd you hear it first? I'm a faunus, I have better hearing than you."

Shit. He didn't want people finding out what he could do, so he usually downplayed his abilities.

"Call it luck, okay?"

"What the-?"

"Did those nutrients you intake just go to those saggy tits? Just leave it at that, will you?"

"You rude bastar-!"

"Quiet! We're here."

Slowing down, Alec and his group walked cautiously forward, eventually arriving at a clearing. And what they found was astounding. Standing before a large group of Ursai was a lone girl. No, girl didn't seem just right. While she was definitely shorter than Alec, she stood around five foot seven or so. Her figure was amazing too. The black jeans that hugged her perfectly shaped legs. And despite the red cloak over her shoulders, a nicely developed chest could be seen. But her face was obscured.

Wait. Red cloak...?

"Tha- that cloak! It's got to be the Red Queen. We've got to take her down!"

"Are you nuts? Did you not hear what I was saying this morning? She's an SS~ ranked criminal. She's killed more hunters than any Grimm to date, save maybe Ouroboros." Alec could not believe this. Was she really this stupid?!

"Quiet. We have the element of surprise on our side, and if we take her down we'll be famous! Imagine being known as the ones who took down the Red Queen."

"Count me in then," said the cat faunus with a chuckle.

"M-me too!"

"Don't do this. This is a bad idea, seriously. Let's just leave, and pretend we weren't here." Alec almost begged them. Because he knewknew if they really tried to attack her, they wouldn't survive.

"Too late, loser. Let's hop to it girls." Jumping out from their spot, the girl charged at the cloaked figure just as she finished up with the Ursai, wielding a large two handed greatsword. Turning lazily, the cloaked girl met the blade head one with one of her own, a slender, pure white straight sword. About three feet and some change in length, and covered with the same red markings as a Grimm's plate. But there was something else, some sort of black design around the base. Or were those some sort of characters? Regardless, the small sword met the massive blade head on, and knocked it back. Despite her faunus strength, she was blown back so easily. Tapping the rune on her sword, the cloaked girl slashed at Rabbit Girl. When she held her greatsword up to defend, the small sword cut right into it. That's not a joke. The sender white blade cut through the large seel sword like it was nothing, sinking itself halfway through it's one and a half foot width. With a swift and vicious kick, the cloaked girl sent the blonde flying away.

"Could she really be...?"

The other two girls were'nt more successful really. While they employed some bit of teamwork, it wasn't a match for the alleged Red Queen. Easily stopping the Cat Girl's fists, each covered with what appeared to be some Dust imbued knuckles, she flipped her over with ease and sent her flying right where the Rabbit Girl was kicked. The dust using girl, who'd tried using the Cat girl as a distraction, attempted to freeze the area around the Red Queen in a rather large radius, finding little success however as the Red Queen disappeared into a cloud of black rose petals. Before he could blink however, the Red Queen was behind her, knocking her out with a well placed chop to the neck.

"Holy shit." Even if they were only trainees, to have defeated three huntresses so quickly was still impressive. Keeping himself calm, Alec calmly strode over to the girl he thought was the Red Queen. With a good look, Alec could appreciate the view he saw before. She was well proportioned, and it showed. But her face, he still couldn't make out, obscured by a Grimm plate mask, a simple and plain mask with no mouth or nose, only two slits for eyes. And he couldn't see hers through them. "I'm sorry about them. My classmates are rather rude."

"..."

"You don't talk much, huh? Not one for conversations?"

"..."

"Don't know what I expected," he muttered. Of course she'd stay silent. Whatever, time to try his last card. "You, you're the Red Queen, aren't you?"

Once he'd said those words, the girl, now likely the Red Queen, sprang at him. Slashing viciously with her sword, she would have had his head were he even a bit slower. Grabbing from their place at his back, Alec brought up his weapons to intercept the Red Queen's assault.

Both just over a foot in length, they were a set of double edged daggers. Nothing too impressive to look at, being a simple design based off of a combat knife, with the hilt being pitch black and with Violet Dust veins running through the steel of the blade. Using all of the force he could muster, Alec threw his attacker away, bringing himself into his battle stance. Concentrating as best as he could, he focused on the sounds he could hear, looking for the right one.

*Boom Boom* *Boom Boom* *Boom Boom*

There. And just in time too, as he'd only milliseconds to react before she disappeared into a cloud of petals once more, only this time she was met with the clash of a pair of blades instead of an easy victory. This time, taking the chance, Alec kicked out at the Red Queen, only for her to spin lightly out of the way of the foot, and back up, putting sufficient distance between the two of them.

"How did you dodge that?"

She spoke to him. The first thing she said this entire time. Her voice was enchanting. Soft, clear. But still, he kept his wits about him.

"You never reveal your tricks to your opponent, right?"

"I suppose." Shifting as though to prepare for another attack, Alec quickly tried to stop her.

"Wait, wait! I don't want to fight you!"

"But you know who I am."

"Yeah, I do. But I don't wanna fight you or arrest you. No, I have another thing in mind. I actually wanna say something else entirely. I sort of always wanted to meet you so that I could thank you, honestly."

"Thank me? For what?"

"'It is in the end that we reach the beginning. Here we become the epitome of virtue and glory to rise, unendeing in growth and unbound by the thorns of death. Be free, your soul, and our fates be bound by vines.'"

"How do you know that...?"

"Five years and some months ago, you saved a small settlement from a contigent of Atlesian soldiers. After having killed most of them, driving the rest off, and sicing your massive pet Beowolf after them, you left. But not before unlocking a young man's aura." If he could see her face, he would no doubt see the gears turning in her head. "I was that young man. Alexander Oz Viola. But most people I know call me Alec."

"Ah, you're the boy. I see, so you did grow strong."

"Yes. I've wanted to meet you these past several years, all the while wanting to thank you. That day, I should have died. But I didn't. You saved me, and even empowered me to be able to fight back. After that day, I trained to the point of almost vomiting blood daily, despite my foster father trying to tell me not to. Yes, the training was harsh, but it was self imposed. All so that I could one day meet you, and thank you."

"..." The Red Queen, it seemed, could not speak. She was processing all that he'd told her.

While she was processing that, however, a different thought was running through Alec's mind.

'It's the perfect chance. I could ask to go with her, leave behind this depressing school life. All of those classmates that I can't stand, those teachers who look at me with pity, knowing my past. Those idiots that I have to babysit on simple assignments,' he snarked, giving a quick glance to the girls lying on the ground.

"Please, can I go with you?"

"Why would you want to do that?"

"This life, I owe it to you." He said, beginning to speak honestly from the heart. "I don't like the life I have now. Despite how thankful I am to y foster father for taking me in after my parents were killed during that damn attack, I want to leave it behind. And because of what I feel I owe you, I wish to help you."

A moment of silence followed that declaration. It wasn't anything profound, really. No. It was the silence of Alec praying with all of his heart, and of The Red Queen thinking. After a minute, she began speaking again.

"My life isn't an easy or a fun one. I'm hated, by many. But, if it is your will to follow me, then by all means."

"Thank you, Queen." After being called that, The Red Queen paused for a bit, then looked back at Alec.

"It's Ruby."

"Huh?"

"My name. It's not Queen. My name is Ruby."

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Welcome. **

**You may already know this, but this is the sequel of The Red Queen, and the next installment in Ruby's legend. **

**To let you know a few things in advance, this story is set over five years later. The boy followed in the second half of the story, following Ozpin and Glynda in the first part, is Alec, from chapter 18 in the original story. I promised something would come of him, right? Anyhow, in the sequel, Ruby's wanted rating has been boosted, she gained a posse (to be introduced), and a few other things. **

**I'll give a little background on her new weapon. Around three and a half feet in legnth, carved from Grimm plates with a plain hill wrapped in black leather, no hand guard. Inscribed on the blade, nearing the hilt, are some characters to be described in the next chapter. **

**Well, that's all for now. See you next chapter.**

**Dravyn LeCrux**


	2. Fear the Old Blood

It was a rather quiet day, Alec thought. It was a nice walk through the woods, but his destination? Not entirely known. He was currently traveling with the woman known as The Red Queen of Grim. Not that it was her name though, as she'd called herself Ruby. So he was traveling with Ruby. Regardless, it was an awkward traveling experience. She'd not once taken off the mask that she'd been wearing, her true face unknown. And yet more than anything, Alec wanted to see it. To know who it was that had saved his life. While he was thinking on this, a sound caught his attention.

"Wait up."

Grabbing onto Ruby's shoulder, Alec tried to hold her back so he could concentrate a little more. Separating the sounds he was searching for from the extra noise, he tried to figure out what it was he was hearing. Some crunching noises? It sounded a little muted, along with what seemed to be some screams. Just what the hell was that?

"I can hear what sounds like a fight. It's a fair distance from here, so we don't have to worry about it." Alec said, hoping to avoid whatever it was.

"What do you mean? I hear nothing out of the ordinary." Ruby tilted her head slightly, likely confused at what Alec was saying.

"Ahh, forget it. Let's just keep going."

"No. I'd like to know where this fight is going on."

"Err." Shit, she probably knew something was up. Mentally face palming, as well as using various other items in his imagination to berate himself for being so fucking conspicuous. Just like with those dumb three fools who attacked Ruby, all of whom are lucky that he managed to have their lives spared. "It's coming from that direction," Alec said, pointing slightly off to their left.

"Let's check it out then."

"Wait, no. I was just hearing things, you know? There's no need to investigate this."

"No," Ruby said, sounding half like a child, and half like her mind was firm. "I want to see what's there now."

"Okay."

Picking up the pace, the two set off at a rather quick sprint. Of course neither was using their full speed, and yet the forest blurred by like it was nothing. The world around them became blurs of green and brown, the separate details that make up what they see beginning to blend together.

"Surprisingly, you're rather quick Alec."

"Yeah, I seem to get that a lot."

Letting the conversation drop, the two of them swiftly closed in on where Alec heard the sounds, all the while the closer they got the more Ruby could hear. Breaking through a thick line of trees, the two of them found a disturbing scene. A group of wild Boarbatusks, all pretty heavily armored indicating a decently advanced age, surrounded by several dead children. Shifting his scarf around his mouth, Alec had to try and keep himself from gagging at the horrid sight. Taking a good look around, he took note of the current situation. About seven Boarbatusks, half a dozen children who were still alive, and about four who weren't so lucky.

"Must be a group of children that wandered away from the town. Poor souls..." Ruby said, sounding rather somber in that moment. "These Grimm will die." Saying so, Ruby drew her weapon. Or rather, now that Alec took a good look, her _weapons_. From her waist, she pulled the slender white blade, likely carved from some Grimm or another as best as Alec could tell. After she lightly tapped the runes carved near the hilt of the blade, she pulled something else from her back. A large object that Alec quickly identified as the weapon she'd used when she first saved him years ago. The gun scythe hybrid. But it was in it's gun form as best as he could tell.

Just as the group of Boarbatusks tried to gore the next kid closest to them, Ruby leapt into action. No literally, she leapt into it. Charging at the Grimm, she kicked off of the ground with enough force to leave a small crater, appearing in front of the Grimm mere microseconds after she'd taken off. In fact, had Alec not been concentrating, he never would have been able to follow her, and even then he only could barely due to... well, he'd rather it not be found out just yet. Regardless, her movement was so fast as to be almost instantaneous. Before the Boarbatusks could react to her appearance, Ruby whipped around the gun she'd had in her left hand and shot the one charging in the foremost leg, causing it to drop to the ground immediately. Stopping it's forward momentum with a swift and vicious kick to the armored skull, Ruby didn't even flinch as the Boarbatusk collided with her foot. Placing the gun to the Grimm's head, Ruby pulled the trigger once. Twice. Three times. A total of half a dozen rounds were put into the Boarbatusk's thick skull plating, barely causing a scratch. Realizing her gun was futile, Ruby opted to use her other weapon, and plunged the blade straight down onto the Boarbatusk's head, meeting with more success as the blade straight through the plating and through the Boarbatusk's head, killing it instantly.

At this point, Alec was simply amazed. She had put her sword, as slender and delicate looking as it was, through the Boarbatusk's skull with ease. The fact that she could pierce through such heavy armor so easily was simply astounding.

But considering lives were at stake, Alec was not one to hold back either. Jumping into the fray, Alec went straight at one of the Boarbatusk's towards the back, hoping to divide their attention and make taking down the group a bit easier. Increasing his Aura output, Alec channeled some of it through the arm guards he wore. With what could be considered fingerless gauntlets imbued with Aura, Alec's chances looked crappy. But still, he charged. Reaching the object of his aggression, Alec sent a violent fist towards the Grim's side. And another, and another, stopping only when the beast turned to face him. Relying on his quick footwork and other skills, Alec began to dance around the Boarbatusk, landing blow after blow on the creature's armored hide. To anyone watching, it may have seemed futile, what he was doing, but that was not the case. A few seconds later, Alec's assault was rewarded with a few chips of the Grimm's armored plating coming off. It was a good thing that Grimm are stupid, or the next part wouldn't have worked. Where the armor began to chip, Alec put his all into one last strike, his blow hitting pay dirt as it shattered the section of armor off of the massive pig. Hearing the Grimm roar in pain was music to Alec's ears, but he had no time to enjoy it. Reaching around his back, Alec tore his knife from it's sheathe and buried it in the soft spot he'd just made all in a single stroke. Pushing his arm further, Alec cut through as deep as he could beneath the beast's armor, causing as much damage as he could while holding onto the thrashing Grimm for dear life. After a quick minute, the Boarbatusk's roars began to quiet, eventually leading to it falling down, energy draining rapidly from it's now nearly lifeless body. Tearing his arm out of the wound, Alec swore he would wash it down with scalding hot water and any acidic cleaning agent he could find later, before turning his attention back to the rest...

...only to find that Ruby had already taken them out. All quick, clean kills it seemed, either her piercing the head or beheading the creature entirely. It was utterly insane how fast she did it, and it sort of made him feel like all of the effort he'd just put in was a waste. Ignoring the voice in his head that was openly mocking him, Alec walked over to the surviving children, hoping to see how they were doing.

"Hey. Are you kids alright?" No, of course not you dumbass, their friends just got mauled in front of them. Note to self, learn some Dust damn empathy!

"Thank you for saving us mister, but our friends..."

"Listen, go back to town and let the adults know what happened." Alec got serious, telling the kids what to do. "I'll make sure the bodies don't get carried away by scavengers. No, don't try to argue. Trust me, you don't want to have to carry your friend's bodies that kind of distance. Just listen, okay?"

"Alright. Thank you again mister." With that, the kids left back for town.

"They were strong, no having cried after that."

"No, Qu- Ruby. They're not. Trust me, it's just the shock of the situation. By the time they make it to town, they'll be hysterical and likely unable to see straight due to their tears. Right now, their minds are holding back the sorrow, so they can focus on survival. But once that adrenaline wears down, it'll come crashing back, and crush them all." Alec said this was a tone so sorrow filled it was unimaginable. He knew what they'd go through, because it happened to him.

"Let's find a place to rest. It's getting late, and we some traveling to do tomorrow."

"Fine, but let me do this for them first. Please."

* * *

Wordlessly, Alec began to gather the children's bodies, and try to clean them off as best as he could with a handkerchief. After making sure at least their faces were clean, he quietly closed their eyes, said a quick prayer, and proceeded to hoist the bodies up by some rope he'd had in his backpack into the trees, to hang them out of the way of carnivores and scavengers. Taking one last glance at the children whose futures had been stolen, Alec turned away and continued with Ruby to find their camp spot later.

* * *

Sitting around a fire was comfortable to a lot of people, but not to Alec. His memories in regards to fire were not warm and comforting, but more filled with the scent of rust and the sound of screams. But those were memories for another time.

"Hey, Ruby."

"Hmm?"

"Your weapon. What ever happened to your old one? The one you used back when you saved my town wasn't a sword. It was a scythe, right?"

"Yes, it was," Ruby confirmed. "That was my sweetheart, Crescent Rose. I built her to be able to cleave through a Grimm with ease."

"If your scythe was so good, then why are you using this sword?"

"Well, it's a bit of a story. About five years ago I lost myself to my anger. I was betrayed by some people I felt were my friends, and in the end they tried to kill me." Upon hearing this, Alec inhaled sharply. It was disturbing to hear, but she wasn't finished. "After they'd done this to me, I couldn't think of anything besides revenge. I hated them. It's funny, huh? How fast love can turn into hate in the blink of an eye. Or the stab of a blade."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ask." Alec felt horrible for asking her about something so wrong.

"It doesn't matter. After they'd betrayed me, I thought I would die. I was actually rescued by a Grimm though, for what reason I still don't know. After that, I traveled around, gathering Grimm to help me enact revenge. Unfortunately, I only got about half of them. Someone I loved tried defending them, to stop me from staining my hands with their blood. Unfortunately, I tried protecting one of my Grimm, and they ended up shattering my weapon. When I was retreating, I barely managed to get the components back for the gun, so I remade that. I left behind most of the parts for the blade and shaft of the scythe part, I so decided to leave her permanently as a gun."

"So, why the sword?"

"Well, that's simple. To remake my scythe was too difficult at the time, and since I needed a new weapon I made what I could. Though I did use Dust to imbue the sword with Crescent Rose's name. That's what these markings are, see?"

"The Dust you used. Was it by any chance Oscillation type Dust?" Alec asked, suddenly serious.

"How very perceptive of you." Ruby said, a hint of amusement entering her voice. "So, how did you figure it out?"

"Two things. First, the way your blade effortlessly cut through the skull plate of a Boarbatusk. I doubt a sword carved from the plate of a Grimm can do that so easily without a bit of effort. Yet your didn't stall at all, nor did it meet too much resistance."

"Nice observation. An your second reason?"

"The humming."

"To hear such a low hum. You must have some amazing ears." Crap. He'd said more than he should've. "Your Semblance. I'm just guessing here, but it's manipulation of vibrations, isn't it?"

"Crap, you're rather perceptive yourself." Letting out a sigh, Alec leaned back, and began to explain. "To be more precise, it's control of sound. Though I suppose since since is simply just vibrations that our ears pick up, it could be said as such. Regardless, my ability is mostly used around sound. It has quite a few uses too."

"Like improving your hearing by magnifying the vibrations around you? Or by vibrating your blade rapidly inside the stomach of a Grimm, thereby tearing it up from the inside?"

"Heheh, damn. You even saw through that." Damn, she was amazing. "That makes up a portion of it I suppose. I use it for plenty of things though. I can use the sound waves to lower wind resistance while I run by pushing air out of the way, mute the sounds around me, magnify sounds I produce, and then some. For the most part, it has quite a few nice functions. It just depends on what I need to do."

"Interesting. No wonder you could block me twice."

"To be honest, about half of that was luck. Your speed exceeded sound, so I could barely keep up with you. I have pretty good reflexes, so I mostly relied on those, and the slight changes around me when your heartbeat could be heard. With your speed, if you were to move right when your heart beat, the delay would have been enough that I wouldn't have been able to react. My surviving came down to luck, and reflex. No real skill included really."

"You underestimate yourself it seems. Luck and skill go hand in hand, so that was definitely your own ability that let you live."

"Well, if you say."

"I do. Now get to sleep. We should arrive tomorrow morning."

"Arrive where?"

"Home."

* * *

The night was filled with a fitful sleep, as it always was for Alec. Dreams of fire and blood, those that have more or less become the norm for him. Regardless, waking up was a blessing. Got rid of those annoying things called dreams, or were they memories?Screw it, he was awake regardless now. Wordlessly, he picked up his stuff, as Ruby did to her own, and both began to move again. For an hour, they kept moving, the sun just beginning to poke over the horizon. After a while, he began to hear something. It sounded kinda like laughter, and normal conversation. A lot of them.

"You should be hearing it by now, right?"

"How the hell did you know that?"

"Would you believe me if I said I was psychic?"

"Yeah right. Tell me how many fingers I'm holding up behind my back," Alec challenged her, sticking up quite possibly the only one he wanted to in this situation.

"Wouldn't take a psychic to know that you're only sticking up one, and a rather rude one at that."

"Well shit, that's impressive. Do you also do children's birthday parties?" Alec asked, sarcasm heavy in his voice. He was amused, and at the same time just curious as to how she did that.

"More often than you'd think."

"Huh?"

"We're here."

Breaking through the tree line, Alec and Ruby arrived at some sort of town. Taking a look at it, Alec could notice nothing that gave away any sort of name. In fact, it seemed like a general little village of sorts.

"Where are we?"

"Alec, I present to you the town of Gévaudan."

* * *

Moving on, Ruby led Alec to what appeared to be a cathedral of sorts. Not a very large one, but still nicely sized. Was she here to ask forgiveness or something? But not voicing his question, Alec just followed along, seeing what Ruby was doing. Without knocking or anything, Ruby just walked straight through the doors. Well, it makes sense considering a cathedral is a public area, right? Anyways, the first thing Alec noticed when he walked through were the children.

"Wuwby is back!" Said some small kid, a wolf faunus from the looks of it, who ran up and began hugging her leg.

"Hey Yel. Were you a good girl while I was gone?"

"Yup!"

"Good job," she said, the happiness evident in her voice. Petting the small kid on the head, the wolf faunus girl, Yel as Ruby'd called her, looked enraptured. After she was done petting, the kid ran away shouting some incoherent word he could not understand.

"You sure seem popular."

"Well, this is an orphanage. I've been under the care of the ones who run this orphanage for quite a while. Well, me and my friends."

"Friends?"

"You'll meet them later I guess. Oh, speak of the devil. Here's one of them," Ruby said, someone walking up. Alec look at her, and his jaw was floored. Out of all of the girl's he'd ever known, this one qualified as gorgeous. At least to him. She was definitely shorter than him, probably about 5'6", or 5'7". She had raven black hair that framed her face perfectly and seemed to go down her back, and eyes with a color he just couldn't place. Red? Brown? Maybe both. The denim pants she wore showed off rather nicely curved, uhm... assets. "Alec, this is Sanguis Anima. I just call her Sang though. Sang, this is Alexander Viola. Apparently, he just likes Alec though."

While Alec struggled to find his tongue, the black haired girl, Sanguis, walked slowly up to him as though sizing him up. After taking what seemed to be like an hour, but was really only a minute, Sang pulled out a Scroll and stylus and began writing away.

'A new stray Ruby? He doesn't seem so impressive.'

"Ouch. You're rather ruthless, aren't you Sang?"

'Only Ruby calls me Sang, squirt.'

"I'm sorry, Sang's just rather blunt. Much like me, she's twenty, but she grew up in rather... different circumstances."

"How so?"

'Mind your own business, squirt.'

"Oi, did I ask you to speak? Besides, I'm sixteen. I can qualify as an adult by now." Alec said, trying his hardest to stare her down.

'Probably still wet the bed though, huh?'

"I seriously wanna kill you."

'Ditto.'

One could almost literally see sparks flying between these two. Or was it a thunderstorm? Regardless, there was hostility, and Ruby could see it.

"Oh boy. How about this; you two have a quick duel to settle your differences. Sound fair?" Ruby said, hoping to diffuse the situation somewhat.

"Sure."

'Sure.'

* * *

Moving outside, Alec and Sanguis were led by Ruby to a small clearing of trees. It was a good size, and a fair distance from the village.

"Okay then, so the rules will be simple." Ruby, who was reffing the match had taken off her cloak, and only kept the mask on, something Alec though was strange. "No lethal force, first to be unable to fight or submit loses. Anything goes. You two ready?" After a nod from both to confirm, Ruby raised her hand. "Okay then. Alec, be careful not to die, okay? Go!"

"Wait, what?"

Before he could ask what she meant by that, the battle had begun. Jumping from her starting point, Sang took off at Alec like a bullet. In a short frame of time, she was in his face, her hand mere inches from his throat. Letting instinct take over, Alec jumped back, barely managing to dodge by a hairs breadth. He couldn't believe anyone could be that brutal, but his belief would have to be suspended for a while. Without giving him the chance to breath, Sang jumped after him again.

"Holy fucking Oum!" Sanguis wasn't fighting like a human at all. She was a fucking beast. She didn't seem to use any sort of style, instead relying on a furious string of attacks, leaving no openings to capitalize on. While he usually prided himself on his speed and ability to dodge, Alec was trying his damndest just to avoid everything she was throwing at him.

Pursing his lips slightly, Alec began to whistle, very low however. Unless one were a faunus, or an animal, they likely wouldn't perceive the noise he was making. After a minute, the effects began showing though, as Alec's plan was working. It was a little idea he came up with a while back. By whistling at the appropriate pitch, he could mess with the inner workings of one's ear. The result, was as it was to Sanguis before him. Her assault, which before had the ferocity of a berserk Beowolf, was now beginning to lose it's rhythm. Her attacks became less accurate, and her movements began to sway.

See, the more Alec whistled, the more Sang was set off balance. Due to the inner workings of the ear helping one in their balance, the more Alec whistled, the more upset that became. Using the opportunity, Alec back up and drew his weapons, taking up a stance to oppose Sanguis.

"You're pissing me off."

Even though it came out as a low, hoarse whisper, Alec had heard it clearly. Why would she choose now of all times to actually speak though? Sanguis removed something from her back. Extending it, Alec recognized it as a halberd. A rather annoying weapon to fight, as halberd were rather varying in their attack patterns. He faltered on his whistling for a bit, and that was all she apparently needed. Angry as all hell it seemed, Sanguis jumped at Alec, slashing down on him at a speed that would make a bullet blush. With barely any time to react, Alec raised his daggers, blocking the shaft. Using his Semblance, Alec began to vibrate his blades quickly. With a swift jerk of his arms, Alec tore the head off of the halberd and jump back as far as he could in that short time frame.

"Heh. My win- wait. What the fuck?"

Alec's surprise was justified, as Sang had walked over to the broken off blade and picked it up. But that wasn't what had surprised him. She'd cut herself on her palm, and held the palm around the shaft of the weapon where it'd broken. After a few seconds, she removed it, only for the weapon to be seemingly perfectly fixed.

"What the actual fuck just happened here...? Hey, that was some sort of trick, right? An illusion?" This made no sense. Whose blood could fucking heal a weapon?!

Well shit, that threw his plan out the window. Before he could come up with another, Sang came at him. Slashing horizontally at him, Alec ducked low, hoping to get a shot in from below. But that failed, and he was met with Sanguis hopping back and slashing down, cutting into his arm a bit. But where she cut felt inexplicably cold. And he could see the blood flow from his wound, and follow the blade. What the hell?

"Do you fucking control blood or something?!"

"Or something."

"Oh god, I'm fighting a vampire. No gay sparkles or anything, but a vampire none the less." This didn't seem to entertain her.

"Okay, forget the joke. Can we just end this with me giving up? I'm not one much to fight in a situation that's obviously disadvantageous." Alec said with a slight nervous chuckle, hoping to defuse the situation.

'With you still hiding what you can do? Oh no.'

"Back to the Scroll huh? Oi. And I'm hiding nothing. Honestly."

'You control sound, don't you?'

"Fuckin hell! Is woman's intuition some sort of inborn super power you females have?! Dust damnit, men really got screwed in that department."

'There are a variety of ways you could have hurt me with that. But all you did was whistle. Why?'

"Well, in all honesty I've never really tried much else. The whistling thing usually works, see? Heheheh." At this point, Sanguis was looking ready to murder him. Oh crap, I'm dead.

'Ruby,' Sanguis wrote on her Scroll, looking towards Ruby. 'Let's call this a draw. Also, I want him.' Sanguis wrote, pointing towards Alec.

"Uhm, what?"

'He has some decent potential. I wanna break it out of him.'

"Uh, what? Don't I get a say in this at least?" Alec was starting to feel, what's it called? Terror? Panic? Fear? He was getting a chill going up and down his spine.

"Uh sure, he's yours I guess?"

'Good.' Turning to Alec.

"Err, Sanguis? Don't I get any sort of say in this?" Looking at Ruby, he sent a sort of '_save me please_' look.

'No. And it's Sang, got it?'

"Yes ma'am."

'_Man, I am fucked.'_

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Welcome to the second chapter of The Red Queen: Crusade. So for now, I'm trying to explain some things. Alec's Semblance, Ruby's use of her new weapon, and progress things a little bit to explain the situation before getting into anything big. **

**Alec's Semblance is Sound manipulation, or rather manipulation of vibrations. This could give him a diverse range of abilities, depending on his creativity. So expect it to be an evolving ability.**

**Ruby's sword comes from her lack of Crescent Rose's scythe portion, leading to her needing a new melee weapon. I hope I've explained well enough. If I haven't, let me know and I'll either revise this A/N, or write it in the next chapter's.**

**And I've introduced the first of the OC's, Sanguis Anima. No, not the author, the OC. Regardless, I liked the design for her for a few reasons. Namely, the difference between combat and normal personalities, as well as the creative use of her Semblance, which to clarify is actually control of fluids, not blood. I'm intentionally making it so that people try to hide their Semblance, a feat that Alec sucks at. So for now, Alec will misunderstand this.**

**Other than that, I'm basically done. Thanks for reading the chapter, and you know the drill. Comments, criticisms, questions, and suggestions. All are welcome, and remember to leave it as comment in case someone has the same question. I'd hate to answer something a hundred times if it could just be addressed in one A/N. Have a good one guys. See you for the next chapter. **


	3. The Queen's Day

It was still odd to her.

Yeah, it's been over five years since she began the whole Red Queen thing, and yet she still felt everything wasn't exactly where it should be. Maybe that was the hole in her heart left over from the kind part of her? Or rather the hole in her chest acting up. Either way.

For her, there was nothing too terribly bad about her current lifestyle. Having abandoned being huntress, Ruby felt a sort of freedom she'd missed. After all, while it may have been a fun line of work, it was still the very one that left her without a mother when she was younger. So in a way, it was a good turn of events. Not to mention, instead of constant battles and dealing with others her age, those who would gladly stab her in the back, she could spend time with the children, and train on her own accord.

And it was all while she lay in her bed that Ruby could think of this stuff. Perhaps the reason she was suddenly feeling sentimental was because of the reminder of her past rampage, the one that had initiated the Red Queen Crusades. But to have found a survivor, and for them to have thanked her and even want to befriend her, it was a good feeling. Good for her to know that at least she managed to do some good. The reason she took him with her however was one that was still curious to her. While she'd already had enough companions, man and Grimm, something in him just endeared her to him. Perhaps it was that he somewhat reminded her of herself? Somewhat innocent, still learning the ways of the world. Who knows?

With the thoughts of what she'd done in mind, Ruby let her mind go back over the events that led her to her current lifestyle.

* * *

Five years ago, give or take, when she'd first learned the cold truth about her friends. That they were all backstabbing, self serving children who would gladly try to kill her to give themselves a better lot in life. They'd been jealous of her; the attention she'd received, the respect she was given, and the opportunities that had come her way. That is to say they thought nothing of the work she put into it, oftentimes putting in more effort than most just to keep up in her academics, and being the first to start training and the last to end. No, they just saw the simple, base facts. She was fifteen, naive, and still standing at the same place they were.

After they'd stabbed her in the back, in both the literal and the metaphorical ways, Ruby had laid on the ground, feeling quite possibly the most terrifying thing she'd ever had the unfortunate displeasure of experiencing, the cold chill of Death's embrace. The feeling as her blood slowly drained from the large wound on her back, and the smaller one protruding from her breast. It was unpleasant, to say the least. And just when she thought she was dead, when visions of her life, as it should have been and as it was, danced on in her head, Ruby woke from the dead. Or so it felt. Dehydrated, hungry, weak. And it was in this condition that she'd met who- or what- had rescued her. A Beowolf. A Grimm. A creature of the Darkness, and one of humanity and faunus kind's greatest enemies. At first, she simply resigned herself to it killing her, before she'd realized that it was trying to nurse her.

It took a little bit to get used to large creature, especially as she'd always hunted down it's kind with a sort of glee. But after a little bit, and a nice meal to replenish her strength and Aura, Ruby had felt comfortable around it. For a while, that Beowolf had been her only company, and she was fine with that up until her mind set changed completely and irrevocably. Following one morning of training, Ruby went from a bath in a lake, only to find she was being spied upon and preyed upon by an older, retired hunter. A man with few scruples it had seemed, as his intentions at the time were painfully obvious, much as he eyed her bare body. Without remorse or pity, Ruby had snuffed him out, feeling only that he was scum. Plain and simple, he was no man but merely scum. After moving on, Ruby had decided to rid the face of Remnant of that kind of scum, the scum she generalized as 'those with power.'

She was betrayed by hunters- in- training. She was almost preyed on by a former hunter. It was obvious that would would generalize those with fighting experience and the lack of moral compunctions to use it to threaten others as those scum. And her travels afterwards further served to confirm that all to her. The prior military group that went around as bandits ransacking small, helpless villages (a story that relates here quite interestingly). A contingent of soldiers who massacred a small town for fun. A group of criminal gathering Dust at the cost of other's lives. And the list goes on and on. The entire time, Ruby had taken lives with nary a trace of emotion, save anger for the most part.

In the end, she had returned to Beacon, the school harboring those bastards who betrayed her, in an attempt to get them. But she forgot one thing. They were hunters, ones who knew their way around a battlefield. They could cooperate, and they were smart. Her Grimm, while older and more powerful than most, could not. Some barely could do damage despite being monstrous, while others could only take maybe one of them down with some luck. But from a combination of their competence, and her Grimm's lack of coordination, she'd failed to take those last lives. And it had frustrated her. So she'd fled Beacon, as fast and as far as she could. All of her other Grimm scattered or kill, save Dinah, and Ruby had just run. Run to get away from her failure, run to get away from those who now still haunted her. And she ran to try and escape the tidal wave of blood that was staining her, dying her world red.

Eventually, something inside of her broke, and Ruby ended up collapsing in some forest somewhere, far as hell from where she'd begun she reckoned. But it seemed like it wouldn't matter. She was tired, both mentally and physically. Before she'd realized it however, she felt an odd sensation. She wasn't on a grassy forest floor, but rather on a soft but firm surface. And the voices too. When she'd finally come around, Ruby found herself in a familiar bed, and being tended to by a rather familiar boy. It had seemed that, without meaning to, Ruby had run in the same direction that the town had laid. When she'd passed out, she had been around the area where Erif and the children from the orphanage go out to forage and trap. In the end, they had found her, taken her back in, and nursed her back to health. After an earnest plea from Erif to change her lifestyle, Ruby acquiesced and settled down, helping to take care of the orphanage. Of course, she did her part where she could, hunting down big name Grimm and using the bounties, all collected by Erif of course, to help sustain the orphanages income. And all was rather peaceful too, enough for even Ruby's heart to calm down. That is, until one night a howl woke her up in the dead of night. Grabbing her gun, which had barely been repaired by that point, Ruby stepped outside only to find Dinah, her oldest and grandest Grimm companion. With Dinah back, Ruby lapsed back into her habits, and again began masquerading as the Red Queen, her Hunter kill count going so high that her danger rating was eventually switched from S~ to SS~. And yet still, she could come back to the orphanage, and they still loved her. Her, the Bloody Rose.

And so this all continued for years. The peaceful times, the hunting of hunters, and the careful avoidance of the public eye on "Ruby Rose".

* * *

Running through the events again and again left Ruby with a reminder of why she did what she did. Simply because she felt she had to. Get rid of those who would view another prodigy as a threat, or want to get rid of competition, no matter how much of a friend they were or would have been. Closing her eyes, Ruby simply let the day end, and began the night. One which would end only when the nightmares ended, and the land was again embraced by the rosy fingertips of dawn's first rays.

Waking up was, as always, a comfortable experience to Ruby. Because more often than not, she could count on one of the children coming by to grab her for breakfast. Cute little things they were, they'd looked up to her with a sort of reverence in their eyes. Well, the younger ones did anyhow. The older ones more respected her, especially the ones who, like Erif, had been around for a few years. Or rather, more than five that is. The ones who'd been there when she'd single handedly- okay, she technically had a lot of help in the form of her Grimm, but they don't count as humans, right?- repelled and slaughtered the bandits assaulting their town. What's odd is that even back then, they didn't fear her. They actually wanted her to stay.

But back to the story, Ruby waking up was something she always looked forward to. It got rid of the dreams, and brought about a happy day for her. This time, it was Yel who woke her up. Short, blonde, and part retriever faunus, Yel was one of Ruby's little worshipers. Well, the reason for that mostly lies with how Ruby kinda saved a few of them from a pissed off Ursa with a semblance powered kick to it's skull. After that, the group got very attached to her. Yel more so, as she saw Ruby as some sort of older sister figure.

So Ruby woke up to the small faunus girl sitting on her chest, bouncing up and down repeatedly saying Ruby's name. Keeping her eyes closed for a little bit, Ruby simply waited for the right chance, springing up just as Yel bounced again and grabbed her.

"Gotcha. You're gonna get it now Yel!"

"Kyah!" Yel screamed, and yet it was not one of terror. Giggling madly, the young girl made minimal effort to escape as Ruby tickled her repeatedly. After about a minute of repeated tickle torture, Ruby finally let Yel down, who then ran out of the room while yelling.

"Hurry for breakfast!"

"I'm on my way!" Ruby yelled back, before starting to change into a normal day's attire. After taking off her nightclothes, Ruby slipped on a pair of jet black jeans with a red belt, and a plain jet black t-shirt. Into her pocket she slipped her music player, which had been charging all night, and she slung her red headphones around her neck. She threw on her red socks, and her black combat boots with red highlights, and then left for breakfast. Going downstairs, Ruby was met with what smelled like bacon. Ahh bacon, the perfect food. Already gathered around the table were the adults who help run the place, as well as Erif and a few of the other kids.

To Ruby, this place was a good home. Just one thing nagged at her for a few before she decided to just ask.

"I know the others are out, but where are Sang and Alec?"

"They're outside training right now, Ruby," Alec responded.

To a degree, Ruby already knew what was going on. Alec had only been here for about a week, but Sang had made good on her request of 'having him'. Day or night, didn't matter which really, she would hear Sang training Alec, often times with plenty of groans and screaming. And knowing that Sang rarely actually used her own vocal cords, she could imagine what it was all about. Feeling a bit merciful, Ruby grabbed herself some food, a couple of extra plates, and a few canteens filled with water, and went out to the little section of the forest where Sang trained Alec. And while she expected to find them training, it seemed like she'd found something else.

"I already told you, that's not really possible!"

Confused, Ruby got a little closer and saw that Sang was talking, more or less, with Alec about something in regards to his use of his semblance. She thought that was the case at least.

'You should be able to pull it off though.'

"Oh come on! Do you know how difficult my semblance is to use in the first place? It's not as simple as increasing my speed or something!" This made Ruby pause for a second, and almost giggle with how uncannily funny that was, with her being right there. And it seemed that irony wasn't lost on Sang either.

'You do know that that would be Ruby's semblance, right? Speed, I mean.' At this, Alec's eyes widened slightly, and he shifted his view towards Ruby a bit. In no time, his face began to turn red.

"Oh, I- uh, no. No, that's not what I meant, really-" This was giving Ruby some entertainment for sure, and inwardly she began to giggle at him. After a little more stuttering, Alec gave a slight cough, and let himself cool down a bit.

"As I was saying before, my semblance is not that simple. Unlike ones that allow one to augment their own body or such, mine requires that I understand what I'm trying to do before I do it. For instance, my whistling." As if to prove his point, Alec began to whistle at a soft pitch, changing it slightly every bit to make it sound sort of like music. After a few seconds, a small falcon came around and perched itself on his outstretched arm. "Like with this, I can alter the frequency and tone to my liking, allowing me to make any noise I want really. Took some trial and error, but I figured out what certain animals like and don't like." Waving his arm slightly, Alec let the bird go.

'So then why can't you figure this out?'

"Because you're asking me to figure out how to manipulate the sound to create waves of air. Do you know how insane that is?"

'Well, it's not like you have any guns, so you need a long range option. And if you won't throw your knives, then this'll have to do.'

"Okay then," Alec said, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I actually _do_ sort of throw my knives, but it's a bit more complicated than that. Look," He said, pulling one of his blades from it's sheathe. Holding them up for Sang, and Ruby, to look at, Alec pointed towards the bottom of the grip. "See here? There's a ring below the grip. It's not there for the same reason most are, for you to stick on of your fingers in. The reason I wear hand guards and no other armor is that they have two distinct uses; defense in close quarters, as well as the ability to hide this," He said, as he put the knife away and turned his arm up. Attached to the base of the guard was another small ring, but with a clip. Pulling on the ring with his free hand, Alec revealed some wire set inside. "I can attach my daggers to these, which more or less allow me to wield a weighted, blades piece of string. It looks stupid, but it works, and it allows me to reel back my weapons in case I do need to just throw them."

'Why not just get a fucking gun?!' Sang was obviously looking annoyed at what she likely thought was just stupidity. And Alec noticed it, and began to sweat over it.

"Well, I uh... kinda have bad accuracy?"

'How bad?' She was glaring. Oh shit, she was glaring.

"Err, I can barely hit a target further than ten feet...?" Something told him that he'd just signed his own death certificate.

'For the love of... I didn't think it was possible, but there's someone whose as bad a shot as Church is.'

"Err, who is Church?"

'To keep it short, he's a character in a comedy show called RvB. It's made by a group known as RoosterTeeth. They're also known for making another animated show called RW-'

"Sang!" Ruby interjected, before she could finish writing what she was. "What did I tell you about trying to break the fourth wall?!"

Alec could, for the life of him, not understand what just happened. He just accepted it, or at least tried to, and left it at that.

'Okay then. Regardless, we're working on marksmanship training for you from now on.'

"Wait, what?"

'You will not stop firing a pistol until you can accurately hit a target from fifty meters minimum with at least half of the magazine.'

"Sang, wait a bit," Ruby began, hoping to save him even a little bit of trouble. "I have breakfast for you two, and you'll both need the energy for training, right?" Ruby waited as she looked at Sang. The way she seemed, Sang always looked rather slow and unreliable. Almost as though she had some sort of debilitating injury or mental disorder or something. But on the inside, she was always thinking.

'Fine. We can take a short break.'

"Great, now eat up." Passing them each a plate and a canteen, Ruby sat down to east breakfast with the both of them, also noticing a thankful look from Alec. Well, with the three of them eating, Ruby thought she'd try to ask about how Alec's been doing for the past few years. She'd wanted to know how he'd fared since she'd first met him.

"So, Alec. What was life like for you in Signal?"

"Huh?" Ruby caught him as he was wolfing down some of his bacon, causing him to slow down and pause his chewing for a second while he tried to figure out how to answer her. After a few more slow, deliberate chews he swallowed his food and began.

"Well, I can't really say it was special. When I was first enrolled in Signal, I was seen as a sort of oddity, more or less. 'The boy who had his aura unlocked by the Red Queen' became a common way to address me, for some. I hated it, mostly because a lot of people looked at me differently. Either they viewed me as some sort of freak, possibly due to the gift you gave me. Or they looked at me like I was some lame animal to be pitied, most likely due to my history."

'History?' Sang typed, apparently being interested in where this story was going.

"Yeah. It isn't much really. It's not quite as common nowadays, but my town was attacked. Or rather, the town I was born in was attacked. It happened five years ago. You see, I used to live in a small settlement quite a ways from here. The town was called Torch, a kind of name the heads thought would be ironic considering the naming of the four great kingdoms. You know, trying to act like yet another light in the darkness. Stupid name, but it was a nice place. That is, until it's name literally became prophecy. You see, a rowdy bunch of Atlesian soldiers had come through, and at first everything seemed okay. They were resupplying and resting in town for a few days. What none of us expected," Alec paused slightly, reliving the memory once again before continuing. "What none of us expected, however, was that they were just a bunch of bastards. Out of nowhere, they started to attack us. At first, none of us really knew what was going on, but soon blood ran through the streets. They gathered everyone around the center of the town, and began going on about how they hated 'cozy, lazy, ungrateful civilians' like us. They said we had no idea about the crap they put up with for us."

"Alec," Ruby tried stopping him, mostly because she could see Alec's eyes start to tear up a bit. It was awful, to have to remember the time when everything you loved and knew was shattered, those peaceful, halcyon days taken away from you in a single moment. She knew that feeling all too well.

"No, it's fine. Anyhow, continuing on. So, they began to murder the people I'd known my entire life one by one. My mother and my father, as well as the friends I'd grown up with. All simply gunned down, and I would have been among them. But," Alec said, looking over to Ruby as he spoke. "I was saved. They shot at me, and I thought I was dead. But no, a crimson angel stood before me, and mercilessly tore apart those who had ruined the town. That angel was also the one who unlocked my aura, and gave me a new life. And I still thank her every day, for the life she saved and the life she had given me."

'Oh... I'm sorry.' Sang looked down at her food, a look of regret spreading across her face.

"No need to apologize, it's fine really. I've gotten over it by now. But, back to my story about school. So yeah, I was an outcast. I had a few friends, and one I suppose you could call my best friend. But he was kind of, uh... what's the word?"

"A bad friend?"

'Rival?'

"No no. Nothing like that. More like just an utter ass. He loved acting like a troll, and would never fail to take the chance to mess with someone. Rai. That was his name. And the teachers knew it well. You see, he had a habit of pranking everyone he could, and I was usually the only voice of reason, trying to convince him not to. I succeeded only rarely, sadly. We had a falling out for a year after he went to far, but we were just patching things up when I left with you."

'What was the falling out over?' Sang asked, seemingly more interested in Alec's story now.

"Well, he kind of went a bit farther with his pranks than he should have, and it ended up disastrous. You see, in Signal we used the school's weaponry to fight. He had replaced all of the weapons in the storeroom one day. Doesn't sound bad, right? Well, it gets worse. He made each weapon out of hollow, cheap steel. And inside of each one, he loaded them with unstable Blast dust. When everyone had a weapon in hand, ready to start sparring, I could see him cackling madly. Before I could stop the class however, the drills started, and almost all at once every one of the weapons exploded. A LOT of the students were injured that day. Far more than normally, especially amon those with poor aura control, unfortunately. In fact, only two students went entirely unharmed; Rai and myself. Everyone else had injuries ranging from a few cuts and bruises, to having large hunks of metal sticking out from their arms and such. Nobody died, but at the same time it was simply disgusting. I never ratted him out, but I did talk with him. Well, it was more like me shouting at him and him getting defensive, but meh. After that, we didn't talk again for the rest of the year. He was somehow never caught, and the resulting failure was attributed to shoddy weapons. I suppose he used just enough dust to make them explode while keeping enough steel in the blade to make it look legit. I dunno."

The talk had turned a bit sour, and the rest of the meal was eaten in silence. After everyone had finished their food, Alec stood up and began to stretch his arms.

"Okay then, time to get back to training."

'No' Sang wrote on her board, looking at Alec like she was deep in thought. 'Let's end the training here for today. Get some rest. We'll resume tomorrow at 9 am.'

Picking herself up and dusting herself off, Sang started back towards the orphanage, leaving Alec wondering who she was, and where the real Sang was at. Ruby, on the other hand, sat there, thinking about how ironic it was that Alec's past managed to tug on Sang's heartstrings a bit. Well, regardless, she was glad they were getting along a little better now. Maybe. Picking herself up, Ruby followed after Sang, hoping to return and enjoy the day with the others.

But life was not that simple, now was it?

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Hello there folks, and welcome to the third chapter.**

**To begin, sorry for the long wait. You try being stuck on a Carrier. This'll continue for a while. If I update, it'll be a miracle. For now, I'm simply doing what I can. **

**In regards to the story, Ruby will be who Crusade focuses on. Alec was introduced to kind of give the setting, you know? Well, he, and the bit with Ozpin in the beginning. Starting now, Ruby will take over as the primary point of view character, as she should be. There will be switches over to Alec, and some yet to be named characters who will also hold importance later, but the primary will still be her. **

**Now, for Alec's past, I did that to provide a slight relief moment, and start building him up a bit more. Don't worry, it won't happen much. As for Sang training him, I'm having her try to get more out of his semblance, which I wanna explain a bit here.**

**Alec's Semblance is, as previously mention, control over vibrations. This gives him a wide range of uses, but at the same time isn't so simple to use. As he explained to Sang, he has to understand and calculate what he does, to some degree. One of you noted a while ago that his Semblance is kind of overpowered. I disagree. Mostly because I'm keeping it weak, but versatile. For instance, the range for which he can manipulate vibrations/sound is rather short, extending only about 10 meters or so. For amplifying volume, that distance is increased considerably, mostly due to how it requires less focus or ability to use. For things like his whistling, that falls under the 10m range. For him to use it in anyway with which he isn't familiar, he has to figure out how it would be possible, understand the method, and practice considerably. So to balance out the versatility of his Semblance, I lowered the power, range, and just overall increased the difficulty of using it. **

**Oh, and in regards to Alec's poor marksmanship, I did that on a whim, really. Oh, and the small section with Sang breaking the fourth wall was thrown in just for the shits and giggles. Well, that entire portion was really a small dedication to Red vs. Blue, quite literally one of the few things keeping me sane on board this ship. Seen each season quite a few times, and yet it still has me glued to the screen. Bravo, RoosterTeeth. Bravo indeed..**

**Also, some of the other OC's will start getting screen time around the next chapter. And our favorite Beowolf will also be making a reappearance soon, as will some of our favorite villains. Unlike with The Red Queen, Crusade will likely have arcs instead of just chapters of progression. **

**Also, if anyone has any ideas they'd like to shoot me, I'm all ears, more or less. I'm gonna be slow at reading them, but I'd like any suggestions that you all think would work for the story. Like I've said before, I'd like more of a reader input on the sequel. Also, with how much work we're doing here, I barely have time to get creative, so these chapters are being written about maybe a hundred words a day, at best.**

**And on a side note, I apologize for the previous chapter. Work was really awful that day, and I ended up venting a lot in the text. My bad. Gomen. **

**Anyhow, that's about all for now. I'll likely start typing the next chapter by the time I finish this A/N, and when we hit another port later, I'll try to have it updated again. Again, sorry for the slow updates, as they will be this slow for a couple of months unfortunately. I'll try to update as much as possible each time I can to keep it even. For now, ciao, have a good night/day. You know the rest; comments, criticisms, concerns, love, hate, and suggestions. All are welcome. Please leave any questions or criticisms in the comment section in case anyone else has the same views, so as to not blow up my inbox, and to make it so I don't get the same thing repeated a dozen times over. Arigato.**

**Also, sorry for the long A/N.**


	4. Queen's Day 2

Thinking today would be a good day, Ruby decided to do a little bit of training all of her own. After all, she had to keep her skills up, right? Switching from her t-shirt into a red tank top, and tying back her hair into a ponytail, hair that she'd let grow long as of late, leading it to be roughly down to the small of her back, Ruby grabbed her Bloody Rose ("official" name of the Grimm bone blade) and Crescent Rose and headed outside.

Moving quite a distance away from the orphanage, so as to not accidently get someone in the crossfire, Ruby began her usual routine of repetitions. Placing Crescent Rose into it's holster, Ruby began to dance around gracefully and violently with Bloody Rose, weaving the blade through the air as though she were simply drawing. Swish. Swish. Stab. Simple, basic movements, and she repeated them over and over. It was the same method of training she'd always done with Crescent Rose. Make one move, and repeat it a hundred, a thousand, tens of thousands of times. Eventually, the moves themselves would become natural for her, instinctive one would say. Unlike with Crescent Rose, or scythes in general, the skill requirement to use a sword was generally a lot lower. If anything, it was due to the sword being such a simple tool that many favored it. While some did deviate from the sword to use weapons of others types, Crescent Rose being a rather good example, a lot actually tended to stick to them. Even among her ex friends back in Beacon, quite a few used swords, a few examples being Weiss, Blake, Pyrrha, and Jaune.

But that's all beside the point. As it were, Ruby still practiced daily, the movements becoming sharper and sharper, much like the one who made them. And day in and day out, Ruby would practice, at least whenever she had the time. When she wasn't off as the Red Queen, or hunting down some Grimm to help pay for the week's meals. But regardless, she always tried. In the mornings, she would spend usually an hour minimum, sometimes even going as long as four or more hours just in training. Sometimes she would be joined by Sang, or the others who would either watch her, or even join in. Erif would also occasionally come and view her practice sessions. He would usually comment that she reminded him of a storm. The way she flowed from one motion to the next, carving up some invisible enemy that only she could see and only she could fight, she was wild and unrestrained, and at the same time in complete control.

And so time flew by for Ruby. An hour. Then two. Endlessly chaining strike after strike, she finally began to slow down after almost three hours. Now that she was finished, and her focus shifted off of her training, Ruby noticed that she had acquired an audience. Looking over, she noticed Sang, Alec, and Elena watching her.

Who's Elena? Well, let's start with her full name; Elena Angelina. She was Ruby's (self proclaimed) servant. Standing above Ruby, around 5' 9" or so, with long black hair going down to her waist, and wearing a butler suit. Her history with Ruby was a brief, but interesting one, Ruby liked to muse.

She'd been with Ruby for a little over a year now, and was an excellent caretaker in the orphanage. According to her, she'd been raised by an influential family in Atlas practically from birth. Apparently, her family had been servants of theirs for quite a while. She'd been raised to do anything and everything, from keeping the grounds clean, to cooking, sewing, and even being a bodyguard. It was an impressive resume, Ruby thought. Apparently, she'd lived this way for the past twenty five or so years, until she'd gotten into an altercation with her master. One thing led to another, and her master, who was not versed in the control of his aura, ended up being fatally wounded in the process. Due to how much control and influence the family held, Elena had feared the prospect of being killed, and had fled. Ruby and Elena met in a strange way. While traveling the area around Atlas, Ruby had found Elena preparing to jump off of a cliff in the hopes of the fall killing her. Quite ironic considering why she had run in the first place. But apparently, she'd felt life wasn't worth living without her master. While she'd prepared to take her own life, Ruby had just randomly struck up conversation with her. The weather, nature, art. Just random things that came to Ruby's mind, she discussed. Eventually, Ruby just asked Elena if she wanted to come with her. When she'd said that, Elena looked at Ruby like one would at some sort of messiah. After that, Elena had taken to calling Ruby her new master, saying that Ruby had given her new purpose in life.

All in all, Ruby was not displeased with how it had turned out. Elena was great at taking care of the younger children, as well as disciplining the older ones. She helped out a lot with meals, and organized the kids to clean the orphanage. She was more like a drill instructor, Ruby mused, although she can smile and still play with the kids, unlike one. Sometimes on extended trips, Elena would join Ruby, insisting that she could not stray too far from her master. While it does slightly grate Ruby's nerves, she still enjoys Elena's company.

And true to form. Elena was standing with the others, but not just as an observer. In one hand, she held a clean towel, no doubt meant for the sweaty Ruby. In the other, she held a tray with several cups of what looked like water, and juice, though it was far more likely the juice was a sports drink.

"Master," was all she said to grab Ruby's attention. "I've brought you a towel, as sweat is unbecoming on you. And I've brought a selection of drinks, from water to Aurade (think Aura, and Gatorade)." Nailed it. She finished by handing Ruby the towel, and holding out the tray of drinks. Grabbing the towel, Ruby dabbed the sweat off of her face before reaching for the cup with the light pink drink. Taking a sip, it tasted like strawberry, her favorite. "On your return, I shall have a hot bath drawn and waiting." Without another word, Elena disappeared. She was quick and agile, making these kind of little disappearances rather common in her presence.

"Damn. I made Batman my servant without realizing it." It was Ruby's little inside joke, with herself.

Making back for the orphanage, Ruby was joined by Sang and Alec at her side in moments, and the three proceeded back at a calm, leisurely pace. She liked these moments, she did. It was nice to simply enjoy nature after getting all of that energy out of her system.

"Wow," Alec said, breaking the silence. "Your moves were impressive with that blade."

"Thanks," Ruby said. "I tend to lose myself to my training sometimes, so I often overdo it or lose track of time. I've been out here for a while it seemed." Ruby said, finally noticing how much the sun had gone down during her training session. "Sorry about you and Sang just sitting out here for so long."

'I don't mind Ruby,' Sang scrawled onto her Scroll. Yeah, she was right. If anything, Sang was the type who almost enjoyed watching others fight. She always took an analytical standpoint to the battles however, more often than not taking the time to observe and study those fighting rather than just relish in the bloodshed. 'Watching you practice is interesting.'

"Glad to hear that Sang. Now, let's get back already. I wanna take a nice hot bath and relax the rest of the day."

* * *

After having gotten back to the orphanage, Ruby found that, like always, Elena had prepared everything. The bath was drawn, and her clothes laid out for afterwards. After soaking in a tub with rose scented bubbles, one of Ruby's favorites, Ruby got dressed. She wore a pair of black denim pants that hugged her body closely, as well as a plain black tank top. Over the tank top, she'd put on a red, short sleeved hoodie with a black rose design along the left side. Entering the dining room, Ruby found Sang and Elena there, discussing something among themselves. Walking over, the two noticed Ruby, and brought her in to the conversation.

"Master."

'Hey Ruby.'

"What's the situation?"

"Sharp as ever, Master. Well, according to a new bounty posted on the Hunter Association's main site, it seems that a small extension of Atlas, a little town just a few miles south of it's border known as Kronos, is being harassed by a pack of feral Beowolves, with the leader being identified as a class S~ threat."

"Class S~? That's rather impressive for a Beowolf to obtain that level of danger classification. They're not known for patience, and their aggression is rather high, even among Grimm. Do we have an approximate age?"

"That's the thing. The Beowolf only recently sprung up, and the plate growth seems awkward. The patterns aren't normal, with plates growing in places like the stomach and throat, making telling the age very difficult."

"Really?"

'Yeah. It seems that lately, Grimm like this have been popping up left and right.'

"Hmm, that's strange. It kind of reminds me about how Dinah's been lately. She's growing plates on normally unarmored surfaces, at least by Beowolf standards, and her habits have become more and more violent, almost crazed. While she still listens, it sometimes seems like she's ready to snap on a whim."

'Maybe it's some kind of Grimm virus? Perhaps some sort of new mutation Grimm are getting to defeat us?'

"That should not be, Master Sanguis. Because they lack a soul, Grimm should be entirely incapable of evolution. They can adapt on a minor level, but that's mostly achieved through learning and growth, not true evolution."

"Well, I'll take this chance to go there and check it out myself. This Beowolf threat sounds real anyhow, and I'd like to help take care of it before it gets any worse. What's the reward looking like, Elena?"

"The Hunter's Association has put out a rather impressive bounty of L10,000 for the pack leader's demise."

"Nice. With that much lien, we could afford the renovation for the subsection that was damaged during the storm last month. That, and still have some left over for grocery shopping. Okay then, we'll do it. I'll take along the Scroll I had Erif register so I can record the bounty."

'Ruby, you know that name is still cliche, right?'

"What's wrong with using 'Thorn' as a Hunter's Tag?"

'It's cliche.'

"Well too bad."

'Fine. So, want me to tag along on this little adventure? Sounds like there'll be some fighting awaiting you, and I'd prefer you had some backup.'

"Sure, though I was planning to bring Dinah and Alice along. I'll be doing this as Red Queen business."

'Why's that?'

"Well, I've heard some rumors of White Fang activity getting more and more violent in Atlas, and I'm concerned about the region. Unknown to most, the White Fang is getting more and more connected to the underground, including working with Roman Torchwick and Cinder Fall. And those two are still on my list." Indeed they were, what with Roman being an old grudge of Ruby's, and Cinder... Well, she still had a score to settle with her as well. Over the past couple of years, she's had her run ins with the both of them, usually ending with them escaping. Or in a few cases, with her having to escape them. They were dangerous, well armed, and had some rather well trained subordinates. "Just for safety, can you come along as well Elena?"

"Of course, Master. Should I call for anyone else?"

"Hmm. If Torchwick is involved, I'm thinking a little more firepower will help. Who else is currently here?"

"Aside from the young man that has recently begun to stay with us, Master Ebony is the only other one still in right now."

"Perfect. Can you let him know too? As for when we'll depart, the next Bullhead to Atlas departs in the morning, so take the night to prepare. We'll be leaving at dawn to make the flight schedule. I'll go call Dinah and Alice and let them know what the plan is, have them start going on ahead."

'It's still amazing how they can move locations so quickly.'

"Well Master Sanguis, isn't that due to a Grimm not necessarily requiring rest or sustenance? Their inability to really tire, and lack of a need of eating allows them to travel a lot more than most."

'Whatever. I'm gonna go get packed.'

"As will I, by your leave."

"Sure thing. Just make sure to not bring along too much. Nothing like say a full set of china and several varieties of tea, Elena."

"I determined those to be necessary, Master."

"Please, be practical this time. Clothes, toiletries, things of that nature. Please?"

"As you command, my Master."

"Err... it wasn't a command... Never mind."

Leaving those two to get ready, and get Ebony ready too, was a good thing. They knew what they needed, or in Elena's case what she thought she needed. For her, it was time to face her shadows. Pulling out a small object from her pocket, Ruby moved outside. The object in question was a small whistle, pure alabaster white with a few red wisps here and there. The whistle was carved from Grimm plate, and was used to call for her Grimm. Putting the whistle to her lips, Ruby gave a soft blow, and was met by a light sound. Ruby let a minute pass, just listening to what was around her. Moments later, a low growl began emanating from the tree line.

"Dinah," Ruby greeted her oldest, most powerful companion. "Go, get Alice. I want the two of you to head North, to Atlas. There will be a town a few miles south of the border. I want the two of you to wait for me there, alright?" The only response she got from Dinah was a rather throaty growl. Ruby took that as Dinah getting her meaning, and leaving. Walking from where Dinah had hid in the shadows, Ruby had figured she had to pack up so she could spend the rest of the day however she wanted. It wasn't that hard deciding either. A few pairs of black jeans, some tank tops, t-shirts, her red cape, spare parts for her weapons, and of course her weapons. For her weapons, Ruby had Bloody Rose, Crescent Rose, and her two white and red bracelets that would fold out into gauntlets, each holding a firing mechanism as well. She had yet to really even bother naming them. Meh. After Ruby had packed all of her stuff up, she left her room and headed downstairs to the central room where the children were plating around, and joined them for a bit. When she saw the sun begin to dip below the horizon, Ruby went back to her bed, changed into a plain black tank and a pair of black sweats, and went to bed.

* * *

Ruby awoke, as usual, before any activity began in the orphanage. She had told the older residents before of her departure, letting them know she would be gone for a while. Not wanting to waste time, Ruby simply washed her face, brushed her teeth, and switched her sweat pants out for a pair of black jeans. After strapping on her holster for Crescent Rose, attaching the sheathe for Bloody Rose to her hip, and putting the twin gauntlet bracelets, Ruby was good. Checking her bag once again to make one hundred percent sure that she had everything; clothes, ammunition, dust, a few tools, and her cape, Ruby was good to go. Throwing her headphones around her neck and plugging them into her music payer, she set her songs on shuffle and just let them play, not even really focusing on them for now. She'd likely throw the headphones on during the Bullhead ride. Throwing her bag over her back, Ruby went to the main room to await her companions. It was only a few minutes before Sang showed up, a large bag on her back.

'Morning Ruby. Kinda early, isn't it?'

"Right back at you, Sang."

'I'm a morning person.'

"I know. I've woken up to you torturing Alec for the past week."

'Training.'

"Tomato, Tomahto."

While Ruby bickered back and forth with Sang about her rather devious training methods, Elena walked in, followed shortly by Ebony.

Standing just above Ruby, he was about 5'10" in height. His hair was a deep blue that it almost looked black, turning a shocking electric blue near the tips. Much like Ruby, and many of her companions, his attire was mostly black, with some blue as well. To top it off, he wore a blue wind breaker, and a sort of mask which improved his vision range. His weapon was what first appealed to Ruby however, as it was a multifaceted weapon. He used a kind of great sword with the sword is also a sheath for a smaller sword. The handle can also turn into a bow with arrows made out of Aura. The handle can also split into two daggers with the blades being dust, most of the time going for electricity. He was a sort of walking arsenal almost, and Ruby oftentimes compared him with a gladiator of sorts.

"Good morning Ruby, Sanguis. I hear we're going on a little trip?"

"That's right. Hunter business, as well as Red Queen business."

"How so exactly?"

"Seems like Roman Torchwick will be in the area. I kind of owe him a little debt from way back when. I'd like to try and settle it if possible."

Making sure all of her companions were set, Ruby was about to take off when she felt something was a bit off. Looking back, nothing seemed amiss, and for a minute she simply attributed it to a sense of unease. It seems the others were sensitive as well, for a second later, both Sang and Ebony had weapons drawn, pointing back at a random tree.

"Whoever is up there, come down right now."

'Who's there?'

"Uh, Sang?" Ruby quipped in. "I'm pretty sure they can't read such small writing from this distance."

'...'

"Just saying."

"Regardless," Ebony cut in. "Whoever is up there, come down now. Or I will come up there, and bring you down myself."

"Jeez. Alright already, I'm coming, I'm coming." Hoping down from the tree was Alec, a black bag slung over his shoulder, his scarf slightly moving in the breeze.

"Alec? What are you doing here?"

"I heard you were going on a hunt Ruby, and I wanted to tag along."

"Beat it kid," Ebony said, voice getting low. "We don't have any time to babysit some hunter in training. Least of all not some scrawny toddler like yourself."

"Ebony..." Ruby tried to warn him, chastising him. Of course she would, especially with his dislike of strangers being one of the biggest issues she has to deal with.

"You? Defend me? You call me a toddler, yet I stand over you. So, if I'm the toddler, are you going to be the newly weaning babe?"

'Oh snap. It's on.'

"Damnit Sang, don't provoke them! And Ebony, weapons down! Alec can handle himself well enough, and his speed is easily better than yours, so I doubt he'd be in much danger. And Alec, why'd you come along?"

"If I said 'for fun', would you believe me?"

"Oh boy," Ruby let out a sigh, wondering why she chose to do this crap. "Fine, but make sure to keep yourself alive, alright? And why were you hiding in the trees anyhow?"

"Will do. And that's so if you guys caught me later, you couldn't just send me back."

'That's actually a smart-ish plan.'

"Thanks Sang," Alec said, giving a slight thumbs up.

"I would've just thrown him out of the Bullhead midflight. To see if he had a landing strategy that is."

"Ebony..."

"Don't worry Ruby. Unlike him, I'm used to heights. It must be convenient being so close to the ground, huh? Don't like leaving the safety of the floor that was always a few inches from your nose?"

'Oh no he didn't!'

"Sang! Oum damnit, will you guys just be quiet before I turn this group around?!"

""Yes...""

'Yes...'

"Good."

With that matter settled, the group resumed their walk, Alec in tow, destined for the nearest town's Bullhead port. After about two hours of travel, the group finally arrived at their destination, and just in time to make the flight they needed. After rushing on board and grabbing some seats, everyone began to do their own thing in wait of the ride. The projected time for the flight would be about six hours, due north. Throwing her headphones on, Ruby took the chance to glance at her companions and see how each was doing. Elena was staring at Ruby intently, looking for any one of Ruby's needs. Kind of unsettling, but Ruby was getting used to it. Ebony was cleaning his gun, something Ruby thought she'd have to do soon. And Alec and Sang, sitting next to each other, were both sleeping. Were Ruby unaware of how rough Sang was with Alec, she would almost say it looked cute. Well, at least Alec looked warm with his scarf, which hanging loosely over Sang's head was actually rather funny. Smiling a bit, Ruby threw her hood over her head, closed her eyes, and let herself fall asleep to a song that took her all the way back to her first meeting with Roman Torchwick.

"This will be the day, indeed. This time I will get you, you bastard." Ruby whispered to nobody in particular, slowly letting sleep take a hold of her as well.

* * *

Waking up to the sound of the captain informing the passengers that they would arrive soon, Ruby stretched the sleep away and checked on her companions to make sure they were good. Sitting back, Ruby and her companions awaited the touchdown of the Bullhead. After finally getting off and getting into town, they immediately checked into one of the nearby hotels. It looked rather nice, and the group wanted to get settled in quickly. They grabbed three rooms, seeing as how each could only hold two persons. It was decided that Alec and Ebony would bunk (a fact that both seemed to dislike). At first, Sang volunteered to watch over Alec, but the latter vehemently refused, for reasons that require no explanations. Elena and Sang were going to be put together, much to the chagrin of both. Sang liked hanging out with Ruby, and Elena didn't want to be far from her master. So both began to do some silly contests to see who got the honor. Meanwhile, Ruby just looked on with amusement. Eventually, they finally decided it in a game on their Scrolls. BornBloode, some game where you could control your own character or something. Both of them had apparently played the game for a while, as their stats and gear were good. After Sang invaded Elena, they were engaged for a while. Their reflexes made the dodging far too easy. It actually took a good two hours to determine a winner. Surprisingly, Elena did rather well, despite Ruby usually not seeing her playing games, but ultimately Sang won. It seems that Sang had shot Elena at the right time, stopping her character. After that, Sang's character stuck her arm through Elena's character's chest, killing it in a rather bloody and gruesome manner.

So Elena went and got settled in her own room directly across from Ruby and Sang, while Alec and Ebony were placed in the room right next door. The group overall decided that today would be a free day, with the hunt commencing tomorrow. After all, Ruby still hadn't confirmed Dinah and Alice's arrival yet. Instead of immediately going out, Ruby and Sang stayed in their room for a bit, just talking about things. After a while, the one conversation came up. The one that girls _always_ have.

'So Ruby, ever had a boyfriend?'

"Uh," Ruby didn't really know how to respond, especially as it wasn't very easy to just mention that the most dating experience she had came from dating sims and other videogames. Well, honesty was the policy, she supposed. "None really."

'Really? I don't see how the boys could keep their hands off of you. You are, objectively, rather cute.'

"Thanks Sang, but it wasn't their fault. I was never very social, to be honest. I was always more focused on perfecting Crescent Rose, doing my studying, and training to be a better fighter. Ever since I could stand, my uncle had been taking me on hunts with him. While he kept me safe, I grew up mostly around Grimm, not people. After a while, he started teaching me how to fight, and that became my passion."

'Wow. No wonder you're so tough. Well then... is there a boy you had a crush on? Or any boy who was special to you back in school?'

"Heh. Funny you would ask that question." Ruby began to chuckle slightly, especially because she could think of one boy she was close to. "There was one. He was blonde haired, blue eyes, taller than me. Kind of scrawny, a little bit awkward, and not the best fighter. But he led his own team like me, and we kind of met and became friends on the first day of school. He was the best friend I'd made at Beacon, and the only one I know who wouldn't have betrayed me. We did a lot together. Studying especially, as we both needed it. Training was more like me picking on him sometimes, but that was fun too. Usually when we weren't doing either, and we had nothing planned with our teams, we would just hang out together and watch movies, or play some games."

While listening to Ruby talk about the times she'd had back in Beacon with this guy, Sang could see Ruby's face softening just a bit. The more of this she saw, the more she realized that this guy was definitely someone special to Ruby.

'So, did you have a crush on him or something?'

"Err..." That question threw Ruby for a loop. "I, well- I mean- You know... Uhh, I don't know what to say to that. I'm really not sure, to be completely honest with you. Sometimes, I thought he was the one person who could understand me, especially because he didn't see me as 'The Prodigy who stopped Roman Torchwick', but rather just as Ruby Rose. I mean, maybe I did. I don't know really, and I doubt I ever will."

'What would you say if you could see him?'

"Hmm, I wonder? Honestly, I'm not too sure."

'To have The Red Queen's eye. What a lucky guy.'

"Like I said Sang, it wasn't like that. Besides, with who I've become, it could never be like that. Ever."

And were Sang less perceptive than she was, she might have missed the slight hint of sadness in Ruby's tone.

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Hello, Dravyn here.**

**Thank you for reading chapter four of The Red Queen: Crusade. Everything is moving nicely for now. Coming up will be Ruby doing the hunt for the Grimm, and a slight surprise and twist with the rest of it. Well, the rabbit hole goes deep here, and I'd rather not get stuck down there again. It's dark, and scary.**

**Anyways, I introduced two new OC's, Elena, and Ebony. For Elena, I liked the whole servant thing she had going. Well, she's more like a butler, but meh. Still nice, and I figured Ruby could use a loyal caretaker. That, and Fredrick from Fire Emblem Awakening got me thinking of how funny it would be to have an overly obsessive servant for Ruby. Heheheh. As for Ebony, I liked his versatility. Yeah, the weapon is a bit crazy, but then again so am I. I figure I can pull something out of him similar to Cloud from Advent Children. Who knows?**

**Well, things will progress quicker soon. Look forward to what I have planned, it may surprise you. But the rest is as usual. Comments, criticisms, concerns, and questions. I'll take them all, including some of the hate if necessary. Keep all questions and comments in the comment section so as to not blow up my inbox. And have a nice day.**

**Also, if you complain about the last section of the chapter, oh well. By now, it should be well noted that I love that pairing and will reference it until the cows come home. Doesn't mean I'll do it, but Lord so help me I'll tease the ever loving hell out of it!**

**By the way, on the subject of Jaune, who misses him as much as I do? I never knew writing a fic without Jaune in one of the chapters was so dull. Probably because I see alot of him in myself. That, or I just like picking on him. Who knows? More importantly, who cares? Anyhow, I'm gonna go down some energy drinks (if I can find **_**any**_** on this ship) and try to figure out my next step.**

**Dravyn out.**


	5. Into the Grimm

Waking up in a town she was unfamiliar with. This was more or less becoming a pattern for Ruby. Or rather, it was quickly becoming a way of life to her. Ever since she'd started being the Red Queen of Grimm, she'd traveled quite a bit. Atlas, Vacuo, Mistral, and Vale. She'd been everywhere. Well, everywhere but home.

Checking over at Sang, Ruby noted that she was still asleep. And deeply too, it seemed. Checking out the clock next to her bed, she saw that only about five or so hours had passed since she'd gone to bed. After debating the pros and cons of going back to sleep, Ruby finally just decided to stay awake. Hopping out of bed, Ruby entered into the small shower and washed away the sleep. All that remained after were just thoughts of the day before her. Stepping out and throwing on her underwear, Ruby walked out of the bathroom to find Sang sitting up in her bed, staring at her direction. The fact that Sang was looking at her in this state more or less made Ruby feel a little uncomfortable.

"Err, Sang... can you not stare? It's kind of odd." In response, Sang reached over to her nightstand, slightly groggily, grabbed her Scroll, and began to write something down. After a minute of stumbling over words, Sang turned her Scroll towards Ruby.

'Just curious about your scars is all.'

"Still, that was kind of creepy."

'I don't swing that way Ruby, though objectively you are rather good looking. Maybe...'

"Sang, don't even finish that sentence."

In response, all Sang did was show a small grin, wink at Ruby, and chuckle slightly to herself, leaving Ruby feeling a bit annoyed at having been led on by Sang. Walking over to her bag, Ruby grabbed a spare change of clothes, quickly got dressed, and threw her scabbard and sword around her waist. Heading towards the door, Ruby looked back at Sang one more time.

"I'll be going out for a bit first. I'm going to see if Dinah and Alice made it yet. Be right back." Without waiting for a response, Ruby stepped out and made her way to the lobby. After leaving the hotel and putting some distance between the building and herself, Ruby let herself enter and all out sprint towards the town's edge. Where her feet tread, small gale force winds followed. Not a single person saw her running. They only noticed the wind, and the slight scent of roses. After getting to the city's boundaries and getting a fair distance away, Ruby pulled out her whistle, and blew softly into it. She waited a minute, two. Three. Nothing. Softly, she blew into it again. After waiting another minute, Ruby was about to leave when a low, throaty growl emanated from nearby. Looking in the direction, Ruby saw two hulking Beowolves coming out from the shadows of the tree line. But instead of fear, she only felt relief.

"Hello Dinah, Alice. It's good that you made it here safely."

Dinah responded with another low growl. Standing easily two or three times Ruby's height, Dinah was a rarity. She was an old, _old_ Beowolf. Normally, Beowolves are known for their aggression and recklessness, which tends to get them into more fights with hunters than they can afford. Due to this tendency, most die out before they reach any sort of age to become a threat. Dinah seems to be one of the rare ones that avoided combat -or survived it- long enough to become the monster one would currently be staring at. Heavy bone-white plates covering the head completely, giving her head a pure white coloring almost, the only indication that she were a Grimm being the completely red eyes and the red wisps all over the skull plates. Along her neck and spine were more bony plates, extending all the way down even to her arms and legs. And even her underside, usually a place devoid of all plate growth, had a section around the breast area that was covered in what looked like a primitive and simple chest plate. Overall, any hunter that looked at her would likely cower in fear, and with good reason. Sometimes even Ruby thought that way, especially with how she's changed so much in only five years. Before, Dinah was more or less a normal Beowolf, save with just more plates and a larger size than most. But in the time between when Ruby met her and the present, Dinah had grown to insane levels, and her plates' growth pattern changed violently and randomly. It kind of scared Ruby, but still she felt like Dinah was a part of her family.

As for Alice, she was a smaller Beowolf than Dinah. Standing just below twice Ruby's height, Alice was also a beast of a Beowolf. Ruby would put her age at being maybe just a fraction below Dinah's. The biggest difference was that her plate growth and size were normal, so her age was easily estimable. In terms of combat, Dinah was easily more powerful.

"Dinah, Alice, I need you two to hunt for some Grimm. Some Beowolves, your kind of Grimm, have been rather active around here lately. Locate them. If you do, Dinah, stick with them. Alice, you come and get me, somehow. Anyhow. Just get me. Oh, and if you find them, don't let them harm anyone innocent. If a hunter attacks them, let them do what they want. But if a child or an unarmed person gets attacked, don't let them get hurt, okay? Good. Now, hunt." With a wave of her hand emphasizing her decree, the Red Queen's subjects left, off in search of the target of her hunt. With that business in work, Ruby again used her speed to get back to the hotel. Checking her Scroll, she'd only been gone maybe half an hour, and yet despite the running she hadn't even worked up a sweat. To a degree, Sang was right. Ruby had the stamina of a monster sometimes.

* * *

Looking around, Ruby didn't see Sang anywhere. Looking around, she saw steam coming from below the bathroom doors, which more or less mean that Sang was likely taking a down on her bed, Ruby took her boots off, laid down on her stomach, pulled her Scroll, and began to search through some of the HA's files. She was mostly looking for the information on her most recent bounty. See, the HA's main site kept bounties organized in multiple ways, and one could choose how they would search for it. Ruby did it according to danger rating usually, with bounty being the second choice. Right now, she was using the Region Search feature to make the finding a little easier. This feature used the Scroll's GPS to grab the users location and note any Grimm's bounties in the immediate area. It didn't take long to find hers, especially considering it was one of the only two ones on the list, and the only one with a bounty of L10000. The HA hadn't named it yet. While checking through the details, Ruby heard the clicking of the bathroom door, indicating that Sang was coming out. Looking up, Ruby's eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"Sang, what the heck? Please cover up!"

Standing right in the doorway of the bathroom, towel slung around her shoulders was Sang, naked as the day she was born, and making no attempt at covering herself in embarrassment or anything. Reaching back into the bathroom, Sang retrieved her Scroll, waterproofed apparently, and scribbled something down.

'Why? I have nothing to be ashamed of.'

"That isn't the point, Sang!" Ruby almost yelled, starting to get flustered. "This isn't whether or not you're embarrassed. Have some shame! I already tolerate the topless thing in the forest."

Okay, some background on that. Sang wasn't raised to be a pris, and it could be said that she liked nature to a degree. Oftentimes, she would go out hunting or gathering for fun, but her wardrobe got a bit extreme at these times, at least in Ruby's opinion. She liked to her a loincloth, and a pair of leather boots she crafted herself. With no top. At all. She said it helped her feel closer to nature, or something. Ruby doesn't remember the exact reason, but regardless, she asked Sang to at least wear something normal until she got a fair distance from the orphanage. She thought it wouldn't be the best example for the girls, nor would it be best to expose the boys to that kind of... stimulus. After some arguing, Sang finally agreed. So, while Ruby was used to seeing a half naked Sang, this sight was a bit much. While she had to admit that Sang had a great figure and was well proportioned, it's not like she wanted to look at her completely stark naked! After a minute, Sang grabbed a pair of panties from her bed, threw them on, and then looked at Ruby, Scroll in hand.

'Happy?'

"Yes. Thank you." Ruby heaved a sigh, thinking that while Sang was a great friend, she was a handful, in her own way. "See, this is why we couldn't put Alec in the same room as you. With that kind of stunt, I have no doubt that sleep would be impossible for him."

'Just because I'm naked?'

"He's a teenage guy. They're really into that kind of stuff you know." With a shrug, Sang began getting dressed again, allowing Ruby a silent moment to be thankful that she was easy to reason with.

'So,', Sang began to scribble down, her black t-shirt halfway on. 'What's on the agenda for today?'

"I just went and saw Dinah and Alice. Both made it here safely, thank Oum for that. I asked that they find the bounty for us. When they do, Alice will come and alert me. As for the other business I had, I was going to ask around town, check to see if I could find anything on Torchwick."

'Sounds good. When do we start?'

"As soon as you're dressed."

With no further motivation required, Sang got dressed and strapped her weapon to her waist. When Ruby confirmed that she was prepared, she and Sang left their room to find Elena waiting out in the hallway.

"Good morning Master. I saw you leaving earlier and began preparing myself as soon as I could. I have been waiting out here for the past twelve minutes and thirteen seconds since you've come back."

"Uh, err... Morning, Elena. Thanks, I guess? Well, me and Sang were about to go hunting for some clues or rumors about Roman. Do you know if Ebony and Alec are awake yet?"

"If the noise I'd heard was any indication, both Master Ebony and Master Alec were arguing and fighting well into the morning. They both have yet to awake." With Elena saying this with a straight face, Ruby couldn't help but believe it to be true, especially with Ebony's personality.

"Ugh, Dust damnit. I swear I'm going to teach those two the meaning of 'cooperation' later."

'Ruby, what're you thinking?'

"I'm going to beat the cra- I mean, spar with them, two on one. Maybe I'll just use max speed too. Yeah, why not? They don't need a handicap, right?" Sang and Elena just calmly looked at one another while Ruby began to mumble some dark things under her breath. Regardless of what Sang does to train Alec, she at least knew some sort of limit. But right now, even she was starting to feel a little something for Alec. Pity. Lots, and lots of pity. And maybe a bit of curiosity.

'Can I watch?'

"Sure. Oh wait, on second thought... wanna help?" The look in Ruby's eyes made Sang think of a demon. Or maybe a Grimm. Just utterly cruel and merciless.

'Err, about Torchwick?'

"Oh right," Ruby immediately shifted back to business mode, her determination to end Alec and Ebony's childish behavior temporarily put on the back burner. "I was thinking about starting in the industrial district, where some of the rumors take place. Sang, Elena, could I ask the two of you to handle that? It's a large area to search."

'Sure Ruby, but what about you?'

"Yes Master, what will you be doing?"

"I'm going to check with the police for any information they may have on Torchwick. If I bring along the Scroll registered as 'Thorn', they shouldn't suspect anything more than it just being business."

"Fair enough Master."

'Yeah. But...' Sang stopped writing about midway, a thought on her mind. After a second, she began to write again. 'Be careful. Something's giving me a bad feeling about this.'

"I will Sang."

* * *

After separating from Sang and Elena, Ruby made her way to the Kronos branch of the Atlas Regional Police Department. After going through the procedures, with a false name, of course, Ruby was escorted to the back to speak with the detective in charge of Torchwick's case.

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss...?"

"Thorn. Scarlet Thorn. And you are...?"

"Ah, my apologies. I'm detective Duncan Mirlo," The detective introduced himself as. Definitely taller than Ruby, a good six and a half feet if she had to guess. He had short, black hair, and wore the kind of things you expect from a detective in an old timey show. He wore a brown fedora and trench coat, with black dress pants and a rather impressive green dress shirt. Taking a look at his eyes, Ruby noted that, while they were pitch black, his eyes held the same structure as that of a bird of an avian creature. _A faunus, huh? _Looking around gain, Ruby could notice no details giving away exactly what type he was. In general, avian faunus tended to have insanely good eyesight, along with a good deal of speed. Giving him a once over, Ruby couldn't notice very much by way of weaponry, the only exception being a sidearm she noted strapped in a holster under his coat.

"A pleasure, detective."

"With the pleasantries out of the way, I'd like to get down to business. May I ask why exactly you're here, Miss Thorn?"

"Well," Ruby began, choosing her words carefully and quickly going over her story again once in her head before starting. "I'm here to look into any information you have regarding a Roman Torchwick. I understand that his activity has gotten a little heavier as of late here."

"Ahh, that it has. I'm curious though," he began, staring directly at Ruby. "Why are you interested in Roman Torchwick, Miss Thorn? If you don't mind me asking, that is."

"It's nothing too big really. I crossed paths with him before during a routine hunt a few years ago, and I ended up owing him a debt. I intend to clear it, preferably with him behind bars."

"Oh. Well then, here's the file we have on him," the detective said, pulling out a folder roughly an inch thick. "This contains all of our data on Roman Torchwick, up to everything recent as well."

"I see," Ruby said, accepting the folder. Flipping it open, Ruby began to rifle through the documents, looking for whatever information she could. Utilizing her heightened kinetic vision, Ruby just flipped the page second by second, her eyes quickly scanning for any mention of his whereabouts as of late. Sadly, even after finishing the file a few minutes later, she couldn't glean anything good from the information. Closing the folder, Ruby looked back to the detective.

"Detective Mirlo, have you heard any rumors of Roman Torchwick as of late?" Ruby asked, as she handed back the file to the detective.

"Not too terribly much I'm afraid. Most of what we get states that he hangs around the warehouse district in the south- eastern corner of the city. But despite multiple stake outs, we've never once managed to catch sight of him."

"I see," Ruby said, a little disappointment creeping into her voice. Rising from her seat, Ruby extended her hand towards the detective. "Thank you for the information, Detective Mirlo."

"Not a problem, Miss Thorn. I do hope you manage to find what you're looking for."

"Thank you."

* * *

Leaving the station, Ruby was annoyed, to say the least. She hadn't really expected too terribly much, but at the same time this was absolutely even worse. She'd gone into a station full of people who'd want her just due to her reputation, and came out with nothing to show for it. With nothing better, Ruby started for the industrial section of town, hoping that maybe Sang and Elena met with more luck than she did. As she was turning the corner into an alley, some movement in the distance caught her eye. Getting closer, she noticed it was Alice.

"Hey girl," Ruby said, going up to and greeting her companion. "Did you find the pack already?" After a quick growl for affirmation, Ruby let herself grow a childish grin. Finally, some good luck. Pulling out her Scroll, Ruby sent a message to both Elena and Sang to meet her and Alice at the edge of town. After stowing her Scroll, Ruby traveled with Alice to the town's entrance, where Sang and Elena were waiting for them.

"Master."

'Yo Ruby. Took you long enough, huh? Getting slower are we?'

"Wanna race Sang? Maybe we can test that theory of yours out."

'Oh hell no.' Ruby just smirked at this.

"Ready to go? Lead the way Alice." Alice took off like a bullet, following a trail of scents, leading Ruby, Sang, and Elena to the bounty. After a few minutes of following Alice, the group came upon a small clearing. Entering the clearing, Ruby could see quite a few large masses. Mostly Beowolves, not many breaking the twenty year mark judging by the lack of plate growth along the back. In the middle, Ruby could see one of the hunched over something. This one was of a size that made Ruby shudder a bit. The thing looked like it would be roughly a foot under Dinah in height. It freaking dwarfed Alice! However, like Dinah, it's plate growth was odd. Instead of the full plate covering of the upper back and face like Dinah, this one had more spines along the full of it's back, as well as completely armored arms and legs.

"Just what the hell is up with that abnormal plate growth? Seriously!"

"I- I'm not sure, Master." Even Elena seemed a bit surprised at the freak of nature before her.

Looking around, Ruby saw Dinah on the other side of the clearing, looking at the pack herself. Her head, back, shoulders, and tail completely bone white, red wisps decorating her like splattered blood. Compared to the bounty, she was positively terrifying, a Beowolf that was borderline pure white. It was a sight to behold.

'Ruby... RUBY!' Ruby read, as Sang began to violently shake her shoulder. Looking over to her, Sang was pointing at something, surprise clear in her eyes. 'Look.'

Looking at where Sang was pointing, Ruby nearly cried out in horror. Underneath the leader, was the corpse of another Beowolf. No, you are not reading that wrong. The Beowolf leader was hunched over the corpse of a Grimm. Half torn apart. So why wasn't it evaporating?!

"Wh- what the actual fuck?! What' going on here?"

"Master, I believe we have more important matters right now. They've spotted us."

Elena was correct. Switching her attention back to the pack, Ruby noticed that their eyes were on her and her group now. Steeling her heart, Ruby removed Bloody Rose from it's sheath on her waist, and Crescent Rose from her sheath on her lower back. Blade and gun in hand, Ruby just looked at her prey.

"Alice, stand down. These Beowolves aren't normal. Dinah, help!"

At Ruby's command, Dinah leapt. Without even a chance to understand what was happening, The two Beowolves nearest Dinah were torn apart, cleaved asunder by the massive, heavily armored claws of the now raging mass of pitch black, rippling muscle and fur.

"Sang, Elena, prepare to fight. Handle the smaller ones. Dinah, kill the smaller ones! I've got the big guy."

'Ruby, you sure-'

"Sang, I've got this. We need to kill it with a normal weapon to claim the bounty, so Dinah can't pull it off. And I trust you and Elena to watch my back and keep the smaller ones off of me."

With a small nod, Sang relented, and brought Angra Mainyu to the ready. Elena too brought out her weapon, sort of. She pulled a pair of fingerless gloves from her back pocket, and slipped them on casually. It didn't seem like anything, but Ruby already knew. On those fingerless gloves existed countless monofilament wires, each capable of slicing Grimm apart with ease. Despite mostly not obssessing over weapons like she used to, even Ruby still loved the gloves, collectively called Arachnid by Elena.

The two girls charged into the fray, beginning their own assault on the smaller Grimm, leaving the prize to Ruby. Channeling her Aura through the blade, Ruby felt the slight vibration as the dust embedded in the blade began to hum, letting her know that she was ready to begin her assault. Dashing forward, Ruby made an immediate attempt for the leaders head, hoping to end this swiftly. Unfortunately, this Beowolf had the reflexes of a beast, it seemed, for it dodged her and began a counterattack in the same breath, flinging it's massive claw around at a speed that a blinking faunus would miss. Good thing Ruby was just faster. Aiming Crescent Rose downwards, Ruby fired, propelling herself up and out of the way of harm. Landing a few meters from the Beowolf, Ruby expected a second to make up some sort of plan, as most Beowolves are known for trying to entrap their prey. This one however just charged at her, speeding towards her with the size and speed of a runaway train. Taking her focus from her surroundings, Ruby threw her concentration all towards the foe before her. Every move the Grimm made, Ruby did her damndest to avoid, barely managing to dodge a fatal blow each time. Several times, Ruby'd gotten nicked by the claw, it's sheer power easily tearing through the defensive capabilities provided by her Aura. Without the Aura strength of someone like Yang or Jaune, Ruby could not afford to get hit by this thing.

Hopping back, Ruby began to concentrate. She had to do this quick, or she was done for. Closing her eyes, Ruby let herself begin to feel at peace. A second later, the world began to slow, and not a moment to soon either. When she again opened her eyes, she knew she was fine having entered the realm reserved exclusively for her, the world of Godspeed. The world around her seemed to freeze, nothing being able to keep up with her. Even color itself had become muted, her speed causing color to struggle to keep up with her. Ruby found the Beowolf a mere two and some change feet from her throat. Taking a quick glance around, Ruby could see Elena and Sang watching her amidst their own fights. Sang's face calculating, and Elena's wild with worry. Understandable, as it looked like a Beowolf was about to tear her throat out. With her time limited, Ruby decided not to dawdle. Jumping towards her foe, Ruby began a vicious combination of slashes at the barely armored portions of the Beowolf in question, cutting out the mid section, as well as the flank. With one last push, Ruby dashed through the Beowolf, her sword having pierced where it's vital point was. Letting the world revert from Godspeed back into the realm of mortals, Ruby turned to face her prey. Looking at the now completely carved up Beowolf, Ruby felt some sense of relief, relief that such a monster is gone. Something about that battle was disturbing her greatly, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Taking out her Scroll, Ruby snapped a few pictures of the now disappearing Beowolf, as well as carving off a section of plate from the skull. Pocketing the evidence of her kill, Ruby turned to find her companions also finishing up on their end.

"Phew." With that over, Ruby took the chance to just collapse on the ground, thankful to be able to sit again. Looking up, she saw Sang and Elena walking towards her, with Dinah and Alice both leaving. Without a word to them, Ruby let them go. Looking at her companions, Ruby just felt relief. "Well that was a thing, huh?"

'Yeah, that sucked. But nice job on the kill.'

"Thanks, but a few things are bothering me."

"Like the strange growth patterns? Or the dead Grimm, Master?"

"Both of those, and one more thing."

'What is it?'

"This," Ruby began, even barely able to comprehend it herself. "This Beowolf was insanely strong and fast. Yet when I fought it, unlike Dinah who'd learned how to more or less fight through experience, this one was rabid. And it's reflexes were insane."

'How so Ruby?'

"While I was attacking it in Godspeed, it's eyes were following me. While the body couldn't, the Beowolf's mind could keep up with me."

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Hello there, Dravyn here. A few things.**

**For one, thanks for reading chapter five. I know the story isn't that good, especially since I'm working basically on my own here, unlike when I had RWBY lore backing me up for the first Volume of The Red Queen. Gomen. I'll work on it.**

**So for now, I'll be taking some inspiration from some outside sources. A little preview of information: The Grimm have begun to cannibalize each other. To those of you who've read Tokyo Ghoul, or Tokyou Kyushu for those of you who prefer the Japanese names, I've taken a page from the way a Kakuja ghoul is formed. Through cannibalization of each other, the Grimm gain more power, in exchange for their sanity. This isn't common, but when it occurs it becomes a serious threat. Despite killing Grimm, the Grimm in question grows immensely fast, and becomes unbelievably strong. Any of the savvier among you may realize what this will mean for later. Or maybe you won't? I wonder... **

**Other than that, the usual. Comments, questions, criticisms, concerns, love, and hate. I'll accept it all, though please place all questions or suggestions as Comments so that my inbox doesn't get blown up. Again... **

**Thanks, and have a good day.**

**Dravyn out.**


	6. Into the Grimm 2

Returning to her room after that battle was a relief to Ruby, who was mentally and physically drained from such a bizarre encounter. The entire trek back, she could do nothing but think about the odd circumstances surrounding the whole damn thing, including one Grimm eating another, as well as the alpha of the group, her bounty this time, being fast enough to keep up with even her top speed. Or at the very least, be able to track it. What the hell allowed such a freak of nature to spawn was beyond her. Wanting relief, even for just a few minutes, Ruby went straight to her bed. Without even bothering to change, Ruby just slumped into her bed, the memories of her bounty buzzing about her head, keeping her mind occupied until sweet sleep took her.

* * *

Waking up, Ruby felt a little better. She'd had an interesting dream; one that had allowed her to sort a few things out in her head. Checking the clock nearest her bed, she found that a couple of hours had passed since she'd begun her nap. It was inconvenient, she mused. The excessive use of her semblance oftentimes left her dreadfully tired. Though the adrenaline running through her at the time of necessity allowed her to function for some time, after the battle high wore off she would end up wanting a nap, or an energy drink. Preferably the nap, unless circumstance required that she stay awake. Strangely, this only really affected her after combat. For things like traveling or just everyday uses (stories for another time) she felt fine afterwards. She'd like a seat for a bit, but otherwise she would be fine. Regardless, she was up.

Getting up, Ruby made her way to the bathroom. After splashing some cold water on her face, and rubbing the excess crud from her eyes, Ruby felt about as awake as she needed to be. Leaving the restroom, Ruby noticed that Sang wasn't anywhere in the room, something that slightly annoyed Ruby.

"Geez Sang. If you're gonna go, at least leave a note or something. You literally write everything else you say!" While she pondered over how Sang could be so careless, Ruby grabbed for her Scroll, intending to call Sang, only to find that it was off. Switching it on, Ruby found two messages from in her inbox. The first message mentioned that she was leaving with Elena for a bit. "Whoops, my bad." Checking the second message, Ruby found that the two seemed to want to discuss the events of the day, and that they'd like her to meet with them at a cafe that was just about a block away. Seeing as the message was sent maybe fifteen or so minutes ago, Ruby figured she could make it there and the two would still be around. Pulling up the cafe on her Scroll, Ruby more or less got the bearing. Using her speed would get her there in less than a minute, and give her an excuse to get some cake. Taking off like a shot, Ruby arrived at her destination in less than half a minute, stopping right before the cafe with a light touch down on the ground. Feeling not a drop of sweat, Ruby sometimes wondered if Sang, and her sister, were both right. Maybe her stamina really was monstrous. Meh. Entering the cafe, it didn't take long to spot her companions.

'Hey Ruby,' Sang wrote as Ruby slid into the seat next to her. Looking around the table, it seems that Alec and Ebony had finally woken up. Flagging down a waitress, Ruby put in her order. 'So, what took ya?'

"Eh, traffic," Ruby said, brushing the question aside with some bs answer, hoping Sang would buy it.

'Meh. Alec here suggested you probably turned your Scroll off or something. I don't think you're that careless.'

Geh. Got her there. Shifting her eyes to Alec for a sec, she saw a slight grin underneath his scarf, which was conveniently covering most of his mouth at the moment. It didn't take a psychic to know he noticed her little fumble.

"Regardless, shall we get on to the main topic?"

"Yeah Elena, let's do that."

'We already gave them the gist of it, but maybe you should fill in the blanks Ruby. After all, you fought the thing.'

"Mmk." Turning to Alec and Ebony, Ruby began to recount the details. "So, I'm assuming Sang and Elena already mentioned the whole 'Beowolves eating each other' thing, right?" A quick nod affirmed that. "Good, that's one less thing to think of. Well, when I fought the thing, it was kind of odd. For one, most Beowolves have a tendency to play with their prey. Instead of the usual method of playing ring around the rosie, this one went berserk and tried to tear my head off every time it moved. On top of that, it's physical capabilities were supernatural, uncanny even."

"What do you mean Ruby?"

"I mean this," Ruby said, standing up from her seat. Grabbing the hem of her shirt, Ruby began to lift it up, eliciting a slight blush from the guys. But when she got as far as she wanted, that blush was replaced with a bit of disturb. Right below the breast line on Ruby's side was a thick, jagged, deep red mark. Normally a hunter's Aura would prevent the worst of the damage, most of the time outright blocking attacks from regular Grimm. So long as it was made a glancing blow, the best of the Hunters could even avoid damage from the strongest of Grimm. Ruby was well versed in Aura control. For something to leave such a wound was insane, especially were it as deep as it appeared. "And this isn't all. The entire fight, I was reacting as fast as I physically could. Even when I entered my fastest speed, the thing could still track my movements."

"Ruby," Ebony began, the furrow of his brow showing that he was deep in thought much like the rest. "If this is true, then does this mean that Grimm are evolving beyond the norm? Possibly some evolution to allow them to break this stalemate with human and faunus kind?"

"Well, I kind of have a theory about this. I put it together while I was sleeping."

'How?'

"Eh, it's kind of hard to explain. I dreamt I was at a cafe with someone, and we were discussing the situation. I don't exactly remember who. But anyhow, here's what we came up with; something - I'm not sure what exactly - has gotten Grimm to start eating each other. From what I've observed living with Dinah and the others for the past few years, Grimm don't even need to eat really. They do it occasionally, but it's probably not for nourishment. Regardless, a Grimm somewhere had the thought of eating another. This gives me a few thoughts, more or less. The first, based on how the Grimm didn't disappear while it was being eaten, Grimm saliva, or whatever they have, may end up stopping the metabolic process that causes Grimm to dissolve upon death. That of course is only just a theory."

"But it would make sense, Master. Of all of the things developed and used to try and halt a Grimm's dissolution, I doubt that the saliva of a Grimm was ever used."

"True. I'm not sure if it's just saliva, or maybe even if Grimm's blood would work. But that's for another time. Continuing, my second thought is that the Grimm eating each other is what is causing this strange mutation seen recently among Grimm." Everyone at the table looked more or less like this was the conclusion they reached as well. "It makes sense, especially in the circumstances. Increased plate and armor production on their bodies, massive growth and physical boosts, and the loss of reason and intelligence. Grimm are reasonably smart, more or less, but these ones seem more like raging beasts rather than capable enemies."

"So... what? Does this mean that we're finally screwed beyond rescue?"

"Maybe."

* * *

With their food arriving, the conversation was dropped in exchange for casual talk, as well as eating. Ruby of course ordered a plate of chocolate chip cookies, a slice of strawberry shortcake, a bowl of whipped cream and chocolate covered strawberries, a strawberry danish, and a strawberry smoothie, hold the banana. Everyone treated it as normal, save Alec who couldn't believe she could eat that all. Meanwhile, belief doesn't change reality, so meh.

After the food was eaten and all, Ruby and her group prepared for the night's mission. In order to find Roman Torchwick, they would be conducting a stakeout. Elena would stay behind at the hotel, mostly because she kind of stuck out with her speech pattern, and the fact that the only outfits she owned were butlers suits, or maid outfits (despite Ruby's urging her to change her wardrobe even just slightly). Sang and Alec would be working in one pair, while Ruby worked together with Ebony. They all broke until later when they would meet up and move out.

* * *

At the time of the meeting, Ruby was patiently waiting the others in her group. The first to show up was Sang, who wore her usual outfit, but with a couple of twists. The first being the hooded cape she wore, similar to Ruby's, but black instead of red. The second was the mask she wore, which was plain white, save for a small crimson red horse head painted on the left cheek. Speaking of Ruby, she was dressed to kill, literally. She wore a plain black t-shirt like normal, but had sleeves added along her arms which hid the gauntlets just below their light fabric, something Ruby did only because the gauntlets kind of were dysfunctional and ended up burning or tearing anything with long sleeves. She figured it was best not to use one of her good shirts. Instead of the jeans or cargo's she usually sported, Ruby had switched to a knee length combat skirt, pitch black with red stitching and lacing underneath. On her legs she had a pair of thigh highs, one red and one black. And instead of her usual boots, Ruby was wearing a slightly lighter pair with a little metal over the ankle and toe portions, for armor and offensive reasons. And of course the crimson cloak draped cross her shoulders, the signature look of the Red Queen, complete with an alabaster white mask, with crimson streaks flowing along like blood splatter. She was a truly frightening sight. Following Sang came Ebony and Alec, both wearing a hood and cape as well as a mask. Ebony's featured a horse head, same as Sang's. Alec's mask, however, was completely plain. As they have all gathered, it was time to move out. Taking to the rooftops, the group split off into two separate pairs, and went to the area they would stake out. Sang and Alec would be handling one of the places Ruby found in the documents provided to her by the police earlier, a small warehouse towards the center of the district. It had a history of housing dust, with quite a few incidents occurring there in the past. Nowadays, it was abandoned. As for Ruby and Ebony, they would take to the one mentioned by the detective, and see where that leads them. Just in case, Ruby had her whistle on her and ready for use at any time, just in case anything occurred that she couldn't handle.

* * *

The travel there was uneventful, though that was to be expected. The speed with which she and Ebony ran along the rooftops was impressive, and left anyone below very little chance to glimpse them. Not to mention, stealth was currently a priority for them, especially because if it was known that the Red Queen was in town, the city would likely tear itself apart to kill her and her friends. Despite that not being the worst issue at hand, she preferred to avoid a bloody conflict if possible. So they were careful, and they were quick. And in no time, both she and Ebony had made it to their destination. Releasing her bracelets, Ruby could feel the gauntlets slide around, expanding themselves onto her arms. Groping along her belt, Ruby could feel her pouch of extra magazines, and the daggers she'd brought along in case. While she preferred to use Crescent Rose and Bloody Rose, Ruby was well versed in quite a few weapons, and she preferred to have one on hand that she could use immediately if necessary. Looking along the roof, Ruby found a skylight with a broken window. Motioning to Ebony, the two of them carefully slid through the window and dropped down onto the beams supporting the ceiling. Looking around carefully, she didn't see anything. Focusing more on her hearing, Ruby tried to find any faint sounds, finding little to no success. The most she got was what sounded like dripping of water somewhere. Looking over to Ebony, she'd hoped that he could see something, but he looked at her and just shook his head. Looking down, Ruby took a leap of faith and hopped down from the rafters, landing lightly onto a stack of crates with nary a sound. After hopping her way down, Ebony followed suit in the same manner, avoiding noise as best as possible.

"Seems a bit easy, doesn't it?" he whispered to Ruby.

"If that were the case, then where is Roman?"

"Unfortunately, Miss Queen, he is not here."

The voice came out of nowhere. Before Ruby could question it's origin, the lights were turned on all in the building, slightly throwing her off for a second. After adjusting to the light, Ruby saw, standing a good distance away, a large figure. Wait, she recognized him...

"Good evening, Red Queen of Grimm. My name is Mirlo. Detective Duncan Mirlo, of the Atlas Regional Police Department. I am here to bring you down. Please, come quietly."

What the hell?!

"You, how did you...?!"

"It's simple. I was looking through case files about the past half of a decade or so, and noticed a slight pattern. Quite a few sightings of Roman Torchwick have also been at the same time as sightings of the Red Queen, usually in the same area. With a trail of destruction left in their wake, I figured there may have been something between them. With the Red Queen being reported to be rather young, I figured she wouldn't really be infatuated with him. And with the scenes always being left a bloody mess, literally and figuratively, with the deaths being of the White Fang members Torchwick is known for using, I put two and two together and figured the Red Queen must be hunting him. I thought that the bait may work on you, especially with the rumors of a powerful Grimm at work around these parts. I figured the two pieces of bait would be more than enough to lure you out, and I seem to be right. Now," The detective said, pulling his sidearm out. Ruby watched as it transformed into a short blade, roughly about a foot and a half in length, the edges serrated. "Come quietly, or I will be taking you by force. I'd like to avoid killing you if possible."

"Tch, to think you thought that would all completely lure me out?"

"No. But in response to the reports of Torchwick being seen around this city, I've gotten roughly twenty two requests for information on him. Out of them all, only one stood out, but that failed to narrow my scope. That one was a male, while the others were all female. Yet when I asked why he was following Torchwick, he said 'to end the reign.' I didn't know what he meant exactly at the time, but it didn't take long for me to figure he was also after you. Regardless, you are under arrest."

"I got him, Queen."

Without bothering to wait, Ebony drew his blade and immediately charged at the detective, ready to take him down however he deemed necessary. Rather unexpectedly, however, detective Mirlo was rather capable, avoiding the first few blows once Ebony had reached him. As Ruby observed, it seemed no doubt due to his faunus attributes, especially with how she could see his eyes never leave Ebony's weapon, no matter how fast it swung.

"Young man, stand down. This is your only warning."

"Make me!"

"Very well." The next time that Ebony swung, the detective didn't even bother dodging so much, instead opting to parry Ebony's weapon away. Despite it seeming like nothing, Ebony's forward momentum carried him past the detective, where he landed face first into the ground. Ruby had no idea what had happened, but the bottom line was that Ebony was down.

"What the heck did you do to him?!"

"Nothing fatal, I assure you. However, it is now your turn to go down."

This time, the detective was the one on the offensive, rushing towards Ruby. His speed was incredible, especially for someone as big as he was. But sadly for him, Ruby was just so much faster. No matter what he did, he could not touch her. Lightly, she swayed avoiding his every attack with ease. After a minute though, something caught her attention. The detective suddenly grabbed the edge of her cloak, but before she could shake him off, something hit her. Hard. No physically, but rather she felt it. Like a jolt. Before she could even think 'what?' she was down, her world darkening. The last thing she could hear was a noise that sounded like yelling before the darkness overtook her.

* * *

"Queen!"

Before the detective could pick up Ruby, a blade impacted the ground where he'd been only seconds prior. Looking up, he saw two other figures in the same hood and cloaks as the queen, also wearing masks. With an apparent jerk of his hand, one of the figures retracted the dagger back to his hand.

"Who the hell do you think you are?!"

"Detective Duncan Mirlo, Atlas Regional Police Department. And you?"

"None of your damn business!" Alec tried running forward, but he was caught on the shoulder by Sang. "Move your hand!"

With not a single word, Sang spun Alec around and smacked him across the side of the head, the blow heavy enough to knock him to the ground. Angrily, she thrust her finger out, pointing at Ebony and Ruby both on the ground, and then to the detective. Her point was obvious, and painfully so. If those two were beaten, what chance do you stand alone?

"I know that, but I can't just leave her alone."

"An admirable attitude young man," The detective began. Steadying his gaze on Alec, Detective Duncan Mirlo slightly slackened his grip on his weapon, hoping to solve this with less violence. "However impressive your capacity for loyalty is, it is simply wasted here. That person," He said, pointing his finger at Ruby who was laying on the ground just a few meters from him. "That person is a wanted felon, responsible for the deaths of over four hundred confirmed hunter's deaths, and ninety six confirmed military personnel KIA's. That thing is pure evil, and I will bring it to justice."

"'It'? 'Thing'? _'Evil'_?! You call her all of these things, and yet you know _nothing_! She's not evil, nowhere even close to it. Helpless folks have suffered at the hands of assholes, those who think that might makes right. A band of raiders pillaging a poor, defenseless village for fun. A group of soldiers slaughtering a town to relieve stress. These things happen, and nothing is ever done about them then and there. Yet she has done something. Her actions might take lives, but they also _save_ lives! So why is it you bastards only see the bad things? Why?!"

By this point, Alec was positively seething with anger. Right behind him, even Sang was about to lose her temper. His point was correct. Those with power must be corrected when they mess up. Soldiers? Hunters? Bandits? All of those who could take a life, and even have. None of them deserve to get away with that crap, and they're mostly who the Red Queen targets, with the rest just being self defense. For her actions to be considered evil, and not even be recognized for the things she's done that aren't?

"Nicely said, kid."

Not recognizing the voice, Alec turned to see where it was coming from. Standing quite a distance from both parties seemed to be another figure. Taking a good look, Alec could only make out a few things. The first, the figure seemed to be wearing some sort of black long coat. A hood covered his head and the sleeves hid his arms, making telling much about him difficult. Near the bottom of the hood, he could see a slight amount of blonde hair falling near the shoulders. On the arms, the figure had some metal arm guards, as well as a half breastplate across his chest, covering the left side. Otherwise, he wore no other armor that Alec could see. On his legs, he wore a pair of deep blue denim jeans, and a pair of black shoes. He figured from the slight ding he heard when the figure shifted his feet that the shoes were reinforced with some metal. Otherwise, no weapon could be seen immediately.

"Who are you?" Detective Duncan Mirlo broke the silence, inquiring into the identity of this new figure.

"Me? I'm nobody special. Just a man hoping to stop the Red Queen's reign, and maybe put things right again."

"Then leave this to the police sir, and retreat. I have everything under control."

"No can do. I came for her, and I'm leaving with her." From below his coat, the man brought something out. It was a scabbard, with a sword in it. Wait, he wasn't going to unsheathe his weapon? What?! "If necessary I will resort to violence."

"Am I being underestimated, or are you unaware that I've just brought down the Red Queen, who's record is comparable to Ouroboros? Are you really sure about this?"

"Heh. I'm the one being underestimated. Hey, kid!" The man called over to Alec, throwing him off for a second. "Mind leaving the old man to me? Thanks. Now, before we go detective, can I ask a question?"

"Depends."

"It's not a big one. I'm just curious why, despite your record on killing the worst of offenders, you'd chose to willingly let the Queen survive and be brought in."

"It's simple. Her infamy is notorious. She must be made an example of what happens to those who threaten faunus and human kind. She must be brought to justice, and not just in such a small manner. It must be shown to all that justice will find even the worst of them."

"I see. Makes sense, and yet that's all the more reason I cannot let you have her."

"Too bad." Using his agility to his advantage, the detective attempted to get to and overwhelm the man before he could begin the fight. Swinging his blade around, the detective attempted to go for a cut along the man's flank, only to be stopped by his scabbard. However, a second later, the detective jumped back, surprise prevalent on his face. "Why are you still standing?"

"So I was right. Your semblance must be something like manipulation of the electrical current in your body? Possibly amplification and the ability to redirect it? Perhaps into a weapon. Am I right?" A flinch more or less confirmed his question. "Nailed it. Nothing besides a hidden ability like that would have ever taken her down, I know that. Too bad, but I've modified this scabbard of mine, adding among the layers of materials a single layer of very thin, but non conductive rubber. I figured 'Why not? It may come in handy one day.' Good planning, huh?"

"Guh. I suppose that today is not to my advantage." Reverting his weapon back to a handgun, the detective turned his back to the Queen and the man, only sure that his victory would not have been assured there. It was better to regroup, get backup, and try again at another time. "I shall remember this." Turning around, the detective was about to leave when a thought struck him, and he turned back. "I would like to know just how you figured out she was here."

"That was easy. I've more or less kept tabs on Torchwick myself for a while, mainly because I know that the Red Queen was hunting him. When I found out that someone was leaking information that Torchwick was in town, I figured that the information was a plan of some sort, maybe bait. After trailing you, I found that I was right. Simple as that."

"I see." With not another word, the detective left, deep in thought.

"Sure, sure. Now, for her..." The man said, turning to the Red Queen, to Ruby, who was still on the ground. Before he could go any further, he heard a whirring noise, and a clanking. Looking over, he saw Sang and Alec preparing for a fight. "Whoa whoa, calm down. I'm not here for a fight."

"Then why do you want her?"

"Wait wait, just calm down. Let's talk abou-" He never got a chance to finish, as mid sentence he was cut off by a attack from behind. Had he not rolled out of the way in time, Ebony's blade would have come down on his head. It seemed that he'd finally woken up, though his movements appeared a bit sluggish. Not one to let that stop him, Ebony began to attack, slashing at the man with abandon. Despite the assault, the man just parried or blocked everything with his scabbard, and avoided any blow he didn't. "Slow. Down. Oum. Damnit!" He tried to stop Ebony, but kept getting interrupted as he had to dodge. Frustrated, he slammed his scabbard in the ground, sticking it straight up. Grabbing the hilt, he pulled the blade out in the direction of Ebony's incoming weapon, striking it with enough force to remove it from his hands and send it flying well across the warehouse.

"What was that?"

"Heh, I should be asking why you fight like a certain person I once knew. But to answer you, it used a similar property to iai, though it wasn't quite the same. I drew my sword against the scabbard, causing it to spring out which increased the power and speed of the swing. It was also rather lucky of me, because that move is rather hard to do with a sword like mine."

"I'll stop you from reaching her no matter what!"

"Slow down, I don't wanna hurt her, I swear! Look, would it help if I showed my face and told you who I am?" The man said, beginning to drop his hood. He was pale, with scraggly blonde hair, and striking blue eyes. "Well, my name's Jaune. Jaune Arc. I-"

"Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue. Ladies love it." Slightly surprised, the group looked over to find Ruby now sitting up, her hood taken down and her mask removed, staring straight at the man who'd introduced himself as Jaune Arc, smiling like a giddy child. "Well, do they?"

"You tell me." he replied, a warm smile across his face.

"Hey Vomit Boy."

"'Hey' yourself, Crater Face."

Sang, Ebony, and Alec could only look on and wonder at who this man was, and why he was able to talk so casually to Ruby.

"Guys, say hello to the best friend I'd made back in Beacon. Jaune Arc."

'Wait,' Sang wrote, having just pulled out her Scroll, '_this_ is the guy you were talking about? He's not scrawny, not awkward, and he definitely seems capable to me.'

"Ouch. Why does it feel like I've just been indirectly insulted?"

"Just told her of how you were. Rather, I suppose it's how you used to be. But it seems that the years were kind to you."

"Yeah, I guess. But they seemed to be more in your favor. You're beautiful, you know? More so than before even."

"Heh," That elicited a slight blush from Ruby's cheeks. "So, what do you want Jaune?"

"What I already said before. I'm ending the Red Queen's reign."

"So you're here to kill me too, huh?" The look of pain across Ruby's face couldn't be any more plain, especially with her tone also taking a downtrodden turn. "Figures."

"No, I think you misunderstood." This caught her attention. "You see, there's this small island where a certain man lives with his dog, and whose daughter has taken up residence as her home. And these two, on this island, are currently waiting for a certain person to return. Ruby, I'm not here to kill you or take you in. I'm here," he said, extending his hand, "to take you home."

* * *

***Author's Note***

**I know plenty of you probably hate what I did there. Oh well. Do note, he won't be taking her back just yet. We all know I wouldn't do something like that so simply, at least not in the Red Queen universe. At least one party will have to suffer. Damn, I'm becoming a sadist.**

**So yeah, I brought Jaune back. Do note, he won't be permanent. I won't have him die, but he will be leaving the next chapter. Do note, I plan to have him come back later, just as a warning to those of you who dislike or don't want to see him.**

**So yeah, a bit of background. Detective Duncan Mirlo's semblance is control of electricity. The fact that he beat Ruby and Ebony don't mean that he's stronger, but rather that he had the element of surprise. He'll be back too.**

**Where this story is heading, you'll see. For now, this is all I wanted to put out. Any other questions you may have, just leave a comment and I'll get to them when possible. Otherwise, the usual applies. **

**Oh, and two side notes. The first, if you are wondering about how I got several releases at once, blame me being an insomniac. I sacrificed sleep for this story, and sleep is a precious resource on this floating metal prison. Worth it, for now. And two, please, no complaining about the slight ship tease. We all know I love that pairing. Just leave me and my fantasies alone! 'Night.**

**Dravyn out.**


	7. Royal Night

"Huh?"

That was the situation, and Ruby Rose still could not believe it. The best friend she'd made back in Beacon, the young man who'd treated her not as someone special but as a good friend, was here to try and bring her back. Not to kill her, like so many others have tried. Not to try and 'bring her to justice'. No. He'd said that he was there to bring her back. It was the same offer Yang had made to her so many years ago. When her sister had begged Ruby to return, telling her that they could bury the whole 'Red Queen' past. And right now, for the second time, Ruby was receiving that beautiful, tempting offer.

"I'll say it again Ruby, even if you won't believe it. I'm not here to hunt you down like all of the rest. I'm not here for some silly reason like bringing you to justice. I honestly could not care less about that. I'm here to bring back a dear friend, one who's suffered long enough. Please Ruby, your sister and father are waiting too." Again, he said those words. And again, he extended his hand to her, offering her to take it, and return with him. Memories of the good times back in Beacon, the days she'd spent with her sister out shopping, or hanging out with her friends playing games or sparring. Those memories still stung at her heart, leaving a feeling similar to someone releasing a box full of Rapier Wasps in her chest.

"I-"

'I don't know what to do' is what she was thinking. She felt like she couldn't, the same reason she gave to Yang from before still lurked in the depths of her mind. She was a killer. Unlike most hunters, she had a feel for fighting not only the creatures of Grimm, but also other hunters. She killed not only the masses of the Darkness, those who stood up simply to snuff out the Light. But also those born from the Light, those Humans and Faunus who simply lived trying to delay their inevitable end at the hands of those very Grimm. And on top of it all, she had even gathered and recruited those very enemies of hers to fight with her, and for her. And in the span of five years, so many of them had become hers, while so many lives had been brutally cut short by her. Her hands were stained with a deep crimson. No matter how much good she could do, or would do, she would always be the murderer responsible for having ended the lives of many hunters. Many hunters who could have, had they not been cut down, ended up saving countless lives in the process of their work. No, it was the same as that time with Yang. She just-

"-can't. I'm sorry Jaune. I just can't."

"Why not Ruby? I swear, no harm would come to you, nor would anyone have to know that you're the Red Queen. We could just go back to how it was before, like-"

"Jaune," Ruby stopped him, holding up her hand. "Please, stop. You should be aware of what I've done, if you've really followed all of my moves since that time five years ago. I have the blood of an uncountable number of hunters on my hands. So much so that anything I touch becomes as blood stained as I am. Do you think these hands, hands which have snapped necks and torn out throats from a still living being deserve to hold the ones I care about? I'm sorry Jaune. No matter how much I want to, no matter how beautiful your offer is, I cannot accept. I don't deserve to."

"Ruby..."

"Please Jaune, just go."

"Ruby, you have no idea what's going on! Do you know just how_ much_ Remnant is trying to reject your existence? The plans that are currently taking form, all for the sake of crushing you and ending your supposed 'reign'!? Please Ruby, just come with me. End this right now. Don't do this to yourself!"

"They've tried to kill me before, but I'm still here. However, you should leave Jaune."

"Not without you Ruby. It took me so long to find you. I spent so much time looking, so much time just tracking down the smallest lead. I've always looked forward to finding you, you who inspired me to actually try and become a good hunter. Even when I planned to quit this because it didn't suit me, you inspired me to try my hardest and keep at it. I can't leave without you, I just... I can't. Please Ruby, come back with me."

"Jaune..."

"Ruby, you will come back with me, even if I have to use force." As he said this, Jaune began to draw Crocea Mors, his family's precious heirloom, and took a stance. Unlike the last time she saw him, his stance back then so full of openings and very shaky, and his posture now showed no weakness. He'd grown this much just for her? But still...

"Do you really think only five years would be enough to allow you to match me Jaune? Don't forget, while you've simply trained, I've honed my skills against other hunters. As you are now, you can't beat me."

"Maybe not, but you're not at one hundred percent right now, are you? Both you and the boy over there are recovering from the stunning shock you received. On top of that, he's disarmed. The only two at their best is the overzealous boy with the different mask, and the mute one. I figure I just have to knock the two boys out, grab you, and power through the mute. Even as I am now, it could work."

"Jaune, I think you're forgetting something."

"I'm sure I'm not. I know how you fight, and I'm pretty sure I can counter it."

And just as he'd predicted, Ruby disappeared in a fraction of a second. Of course, the obvious thought was that she would attack from behind, aiming for the neck. It was her pattern, even back in Beacon. Unfortunately, it was a predictable attack from the point of view for anyone who's experienced in fighting other people. Regardless, it wouldn't work on Jaune. Ducking low, Jaune raised his shield high, and placed it right behind his head, blocking the usual area she'd attack.

'This is it. When she strikes my shield, I'll use the short opportunity to spring back and hit her with it. While she's knocked off balance, I'll grab her, put her in a hold, and make my escape. With my strength, she couldn't break out.' Was what Jaune was thinking. And normally he'd be right. However, this situation was not normal. Instead of feeling the strike on his shield, a black clothed, red hooded figure appeared in front of him in a gust of black rose petals. 'Black... roses?' Before he could even look up, a swift boot came flying at his head. Even with his insane defense, courtesy of an abnormally high amount of Aura, the sheer speed of the boot, along with what he assumes is a steel toe, ended up hitting him clear across the skull. No matter how strong he is, the unexpected and ferocious assault sent him flying quite a distance. After what felt like a crash landing, Jaune could only look on as Ruby's companions escaped. When she was the last, she paused, and took another look at Jaune, crumpled helplessly on the ground, the single vicious kick to his skull having been quite effective.

"Ru-by. Please... don't." With what strength he could muster, Jaune desperately uttered those words. The damage done to him was already making him fade, his consciousness not likely remaining much longer.

"I'm sorry, Jaune. This is goodbye."

"Please... don't say... that."

Before the darkness took him, the last thing Jaune saw was Ruby, her back turned to him, swiftly making her escape. What caught his attention were the shining things falling from her face. Were those... tears...? It's not like he found out, as he lost consciousness pretty soon after that.

* * *

Looking at her best friend on the ground, sent flying by her own boot, Ruby could not help but feel a cocktail of emotions. It sickened her to have had to do that. It killed her inside, doing that to possibly one of the only people she knew back at Beacon that had meant her no harm. It was killing her. Twisting her insides. Making her physically sick. She had to go now, or she would likely collapse from the gut wrenching sensation of looking at her handiwork. As she went, the waterworks would not stop, the tears continuing to flow even as she flew from roof to roof with just her physical abilities alone. In no time, she had caught up to the others, all of whom had shed their cloaks and masks, having returned to their normal attire. Only, Ruby had decided to replace her mask, not wanting to show those tears to the others. Calming herself as best as possible, Ruby gave the others the plan.

"It seems like the info on Torchwick was a bust. The police may be alerted to my presence, so to be safe, I'm staying like this while I return. I'll be fine, but you guys just look normal, okay? I'll meet you back at the hotel. Get some rest, you deserve it." With no more words, Ruby disappeared into a cloud of roses, leaving behind her comrades. Instead of returning straight to the hotel, Ruby just ran along the rooftops, eventually shedding her cloak and mask and just throwing them in her bag. Even after that, she continued to run, and run, and run. For an hour, she ran at her top speed, hopping from roof to roof, even to the point that her lungs felt like they were thrown into a furnace. Only when she felt unable to run further did she decide to return to the hotel. Entering her room through the window instead of the front, Ruby crept in and threw her gear down next to her bed. Ignoring that Sang didn't seem to be around, Ruby grabbed a change of underclothes, stripped, and entered the shower. Letting the hot water run over her, Ruby finally just let it all out.

"AAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

With a loud cry that sounded full of anger and sorrow, Ruby began to lightly sob. After so long of thinking everyone hated her, of believing the only place she could return to was that orphanage, Ruby had found that she still had a home, and friends and family that loved her. And she just mercilessly threw it back in their faces. All of that added to the stress she's accumulated, and it just broke something in Ruby. And so she continued to simply let it out, the tears becoming lost in the drains, their existence completely hidden from the others. She didn't want them to see her. So she stayed there a while longer, only ending once she was sure that her tears had finally ceased. After she calmed down somewhat, Ruby finished up her shower, threw on her underwear, and exited the bathroom. Looking around, she still saw no Sang, so she could only assume that her friend had not yet returned, or perhaps had taken a detour or perhaps left again when she'd gotten back. Whatever it was, it didn't matter. All Ruby wanted right now was to get a nice, peaceful rest in. The day was tiring, in more ways than she cared for. After throwing on a plain t-shirt, and getting her pajamas on, Ruby just collapsed into her bed, trying to get a little sleep after what can only be called a draining day.

As it turns out, sleep would not come easy for her. Surprise, surprise. After what amounted to forty five or so minutes of attempting to get any sort of rest, Ruby heard the door to her room click open, and some quiet footsteps shuffle in. Sitting up in her bed, Ruby saw Sang entering the room, carrying a bag in her hand.

"Hey Sang. What were you up to?" Ruby decided to abandon sleep for now and just chat with Sang.

'Got thirsty.' Was the reply Sang had on her Scroll. Rummaging around in the small plastic bag on her arm, Sang brought out a bottle of Aur-Aid. Pausing for a second, Sang reached in again, grabbed out another bottle, and tossed it to Ruby. It was strawberry flavored Aur-Aid. Smirking a bit to herself, Ruby began to drink the sports drink, thinking of her evening the entire time. Silently she sat there, drinking the lightish red juice down, while Sang did the same over on her bed. After finishing, Ruby threw the bottle across the room and into the tiny trashcan, and was about to try and catch some rest again when she heard Sang scribbling something.

'You okay Ruby?'

"Yeah Sang, why wouldn't I be?" 'Damn it, she's perceptive.' "I'm fine, really. You don't have to worry." 'Yeah, please don't.'

'Ruby, don't bullshit me. I've known you for the past four and a half years. I'm aware of how much you're hurt right now. Spill it.' Sang's face showed that she wasn't kidding around. Inwardly sighing at herself for making it so obvious, Ruby began.

"You know who that was right?"

'You did sort of introduce him to us.'

"Right. So as you know he was my best friend from my days in Beacon, Jaune Arc. It seems he's improved a good deal, but back then he wasn't very impressive. If anything, I would almost say he was the comical relief of his team. However, he had a hidden side of him that very few people knew about. He was great with strategy. Yeah, what he came up with was simple and often times would just look childish, but the plans he had never failed. Both he and I led our own teams too."

'Hmm, not sure you mentioned that before.'

"Maybe I did, or maybe I forgot. Anyhow, we were both team leaders. Before that though, when I'd first gotten to Beacon, he kinda picked me up when I was feeling down. We both became close friends, and grew as leaders together during my stay in Beacon. Due to class schedules, we also had a few classes separate from the others for team leaders. Heck, on quite a few team hunts me and him were paired together due to our good coordination. He was good at getting attention and taking hits, and I could handle any Grimm from any distance in a short time. Overall, we spent a lot of time together as friends."

'So why didn't you go back with him?'

"You know why Sang. At least you should know better than most. My hands are too bloodstained. When I saw him there, I could almost see a bright light around him, while all I could do was cast shadows everywhere. I'm too far removed from his world, from _their _world, to return. I also can't let him get mixed up with me, he doesn't deserve this."

'It's surprising to hear "The Red Queen of Grimm" of all people sound like an adolescent girl.' Sang scribbled, looking a bit amused in the process. 'What a lucky guy to be able to do this to you, of all people.'

"It's not like that Sang!" Ruby tried protesting, with Sang showing no signs of believing her. "Uuhn (I have no idea how to show agitation)."

'Just admit it. When you saw him, you're first thought was that you wanted to go straight for it.'

"I DID NOT!" Looking at Sang, Ruby saw that she was getting a slight rise out of teasing her, evident by a smile on her face. Sang rarely ever showed such a large toothy grin. Ruby randomly thought that Sang might have a boyfriend if she looked this approachable more often. But back to the point. "Damn it Sang! I don't even know what the 'It' is."

Hearing this, Sang began flipping across her Scroll rather quickly and began to type rather swiftly, a talent, Ruby guessed, was honed through always using her Scroll to communicate. After a second, Sang brought something up on her Scroll and turned it towards Ruby. It was a crude picture of two smiley faces kissing each other. On getting what Sang was going at, Ruby began to turn bright red.

"Sang! Like I said, that's not it!"

'It so is.'

"No it isn't! After all, I'm not even sure I'd even deserve to have that kind of thing happen to me. Remember? I said as much straight to his face. For all of the kindness he tried to show me, and I spit in his face."

'And you regret it.'

"I hurt him Sang. One of the few people who still doesn't hate me, and I just kicked him aside as hard as I could."

'Yeah. Speaking of which, that was odd.'

"What was? Viciously knocking out one of my best friends?"

'No. Well I guess that counts, but there's something else. Normally you go for attacking the back, right? That time, you stopped in front of him and kicked him hard as possible.'

"Yeah. Apparently, my fighting style has become predictable. No doubt Jaune had the same idea when I fought him. Remember where he held his shield?"

'Behind himself, covering his neck and upper back?'

"Precisely. Before I moved, I thought about what Jaune would try, especially with him knowing my preferences in combat. I just used that to my advantage."

'Huh, smart. And next time, you'll take down that electricity loving bastard.'

"Yeah. Unfortunately, I was careless. One of my friends in Beacon had a similar semblance, however I never expected to find one of this nature. I guess that is my fault."

'No, it's not. Just bad luck.'

"Well enough about this, I'm tired. Get some sleep." And sure enough, within a few minutes, Ruby had drifted off, her talking to Sang having relieved some of what was on her mind.

* * *

Waking up was a good thing for Ruby. The previous night's sleep had allowed her to sort her mind and thoughts out. With everything in order, Ruby and her companions had decided to stay the remainder of the day, using the time to get a bit of well-deserved rest, as well as go out to town and stock up on some supplies for the return trip. Before anyone else was even awake, Ruby had already woken up, gotten dressed, and left the others to their sleep. Stepping out into the still slightly dark and chilly morning, Ruby just began to walk. No destination, just a nice walk to clear her mind. Jaune's offer still fresh in her mind, Ruby needed remember just who she was. She was The Red Queen of Grimm. The most wanted being on the face of Remnant. Anyone who found that out would hate her, even if they didn't know it. She was a rarity among Humans and Faunus, as one who lacked any sense of worry over killing another.

While not entirely unheard of, for one to switch to killing Humans and Faunus kind over Grimm is rare. Those who do ended up as beings of fear. Their actions completely impossible to understand, as they would willingly lower the number of those who stood in the Light instead of helping their fellow man fight against the beings of the Darkness that threatened their very way of life. Such were often killed, no chance of trial given. Even if they were caught, imprisonment was usually not even an option. Their existence was enough to cause panic or fear, even locked up and essentially stripped of their power. The only option to keep the peace was to kill them. And worse than those who'd gone before Ruby was the fact that the very Darkness that threatened to end the very Lights that hunters fought to protect were her thorns. The thorns that had become her power, the proof of her royal nature. The crown of pitch black thorns that adorned her blood streaked head.

The walking helped her sort these thoughts out and more. Things were getting crazier and crazier, and Ruby knew this was just the beginning. Grimm eating one another to gain power, her own Grimm in fact. And that wasn't the worst of her problems. Jaune's words still floated around her head. _'Do you know just how_ much_ Remnant is trying to reject your existence? The plans that are currently taking form, all for the sake of crushing you and ending your supposed 'reign'!?'_ Something about his desperation there worried Ruby, though she didn't know just why. There was something he seemed to know that she didn't, and it was nagging at a small corner of her mind. But like she'd told Jaune, she'd survived this long. It would take more than they could supply to kill her. And until they could figure out a way, she would just continue to get rid of whatever was sent to her way, further weakening them. In the end, she would win. She had to.

"Excuse me, Miss?"

Snapping out of her thoughts, Ruby turned to see who addressed her. And to her surprise, it was the detective from the other day.

"Oh, good morning detective."

"Good morning Miss Thorn. What are you doing out so early in the morning?"

"I was taking a walk detective. I felt a little restless, especially after last night."

"Last night? Might I ask what happened Miss Thorn?"

"Well on my way back to my hotel from dinner, I saw a few people in cloaks and masks running down the street. There were four of them, and one wore red instead of black like the others."

"Yes, that was the Red Queen of Grimm."

"Oh goodness."

"Do not worry Miss Thorn. I'd chased her off before, and she seems to have stopped her activity. I still recommend staying indoors until the sun rises though. Please get back to your hotel as soon as you can."

"Yes detective. Thank you very much." Turning from the detective, Ruby began to walk back in the direction of her hotel, a slight chill creeping up her spine. She hoped it was just her imagination however. Stepping up her pace slightly, Ruby just wanted to put as much distance between herself and the detective as she could.

Back in her room, Ruby found that Sang was still asleep, apparently the previous night having tired her out more than expected. Sitting down on her bed, Ruby pulled out the Scroll registered to the hunter tag Thorne, and began to peruse the net on it. Switching over to the RemNet social media website, Ruby typed a name into the bar at the top. Of course only one result came up, the only one she was hoping to see. Yang Xiao Long,

Opening up the page, Ruby of course only could see a limited amount of information, but it was enough. Seeing Jaune the night before had gotten her into a sort of nostalgic mood, and made her want to see the sister she'd left behind so many years ago. And honestly, the years had been kind to her. In her profile's picture, Yang had apparently not grown much more, but her features did mature a bit. And instead of her usual choice of outfits, oftentimes a bit more revealing than they'd need to be, Ruby saw her sister wearing something a bit more conservative. Just checking her status, it seemed that Yang was staying back at Patch, just like Jaune had said.

Seeing her sister again got Ruby to thinking. And in the end, she decided to just roll with it. Ruby was going to return home. Of course nobody would know, they couldn't.

"But it couldn't hurt to see her again, right? After all. She doesn't have to see me. She probably doesn't event want to, especially after what I'd said to her. But that's fine. I'm just going there to see her."

Yup. The Queen was going home.

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Hello there folks. Before you complain about the delay, I've been on a boat for a while. A boat with no WiFi. Yes, I lack such a basic necessity of life, at least for someone who loves anime and games like I do. But at least I've delivered.**

**Anyhow, time to start talking. I've read through the comments the best I could with the minimal time I get on the internet here, and I've seen a few of you mention you hate how easily Ruby was taken down by Mirlo. Yeah, I realize it's kinda sad that a character who could cut throats before most people could blink or twitch would be downed so easily. However friggit, I'm leaving it in. It makes her human. Not an omnipotent being. **

**Anyhow, that ends this Arc featuring detective Mirlo. The next one may be short, depending on how much time I find, and how much Monster I can acquire. As you can tell Ruby will be returning home, to the island of Patch. She won't be giving up being the Red Queen. More like just go to the island, check up on her sister while trying to make sure she doesn't get seen too much, and maybe some random trouble. Who knows?**

**Anyhow, that's all for now. You know the deal, comments, questions, etc. Catch you later.**


	8. Royal Welcome

'Ruby, are you sure about this?' Sang asked for the umpteenth time. It was honestly starting to annoy her.

"I'll be fine Sang. Like I said, I'm only going to check with an acquaintance on a possible lead. Once I find out what I can, I'll come back. Just go on ahead and return to the orphanage without me. I'll catch up later."

'Ruby, you're hiding something.'

"I'm not Sang, believe me."

"Then why does your heartbeat speed up slightly when you say that?" Of course, Alec. The boy with Sonarmancy as a semblance, and hearing on the level of a bat, if not much better. Chalk on being a human lie detector to his resume.

"I have no idea what you're talking about Alec. But perhaps you wanna double your training with Sang, so as to improve your abilities? Am I right?"

". . . what were we talking about again?"

"I dunno. Anyhow Sang, I'll be fine. Please just trust me on this."

'Fine.'

"Thanks. Elena, make sure they all eat properly on the way. You're also in charge of caring for the kids when you guys get back. Sang, make sure that Alec and Ebony don't tear each others throats out. Force is authorized if necessary."

"Yes, Master."

'With pleasure Ruby.'

"Alright then. See you later." Separating from her friends, Ruby began her journey.

Where was the Queen heading? The answer to that lies in Ruby's past. After her sister, Yang, had graduated from Beacon Academy, she'd apparently moved back in with their father on the island of their birth, Patch. Feeling a bit nostalgic after seeing her best friend from her time at Beacon, Ruby decided to pay a visit to Patch and possibly check up on Yang, and maybe even her father should time permit. She hoped that enough years would have passed since she'd lived there that nobody would easily recognize her. For caution's sake, she brought along some hair dye and a few pair of contact lenses, colored black and red respectively, to ensure that she could avoid standing out easily. The red eyes, while an uncommon color, was something Ruby'd always wanted to try, though Yang always told her they were horribly out of fashion. But like normal, she was wearing her hooded red jacket, the sleeves rolled up, and her black jeans and boots combo. With the hood thrown up, and her bangs hanging over her eyes, nobody would be able to figure out who she was so easily.

After parting with her group at the airport, Ruby headed over to the gate where her flight was. After going through the motions and boarding, Ruby settled in to her seat, getting as comfortable as possible. Once she was good and ready, Ruby opened up her carry on bag, pulled out the bottle of sleeping meds she'd bought back in town, and popped one in. Based on the flight schedule, it'd take around eight or nine hours to reach Patch, and Ruby'd rather have avoided the hassle of being awake through the flight. After about a minute, when the sleep aids began to kick in, Ruby drifted off into a comfortable slumber.

* * *

Eight and a half hours later, Ruby's flight arrived at it's destination. Being gently shaken awake by a flight attendant, Ruby gathered her bag and, still a little groggy from just waking up, made her way off and into the dusk colored port. The first step off was kind of... underwhelming, at least compared to how Ruby thought she'd feel. It was, after all, the first time in nearly a decade that she'd stepped foot on the very same island that she was born and raised on. Perhaps it was because her heart had been hardened by her actions over the course of the past few years. Regardless of the reason, it wasn't what she thought it'd be. Shaking off the slight feeling of disappointment, Ruby pulled out her Scroll to get her bearings. Patch was, while not a small island, not very large either. There were a few cities and towns scattered about. After checking to make sure of her location, Ruby searched for the city where she'd lived with her family and set her Scroll to map the shortest route. After a second when the results showed up, Ruby began to move. Throwing her hood up and placing her contacts in, her disguise was almost complete. To finalize it, Ruby also brought out a pair of glasses, thin black frame with false lens'.

"Perfect. Cute, stylish, and functional."

Instead of taking some form of motorized transportation, Ruby instead opted to take a walk. Considering that she was used to living out in the woods for periods of a couple of days to even a few moths, and that if she felt like it she could close a tremendous amount of the distance with a few short sprints, it seemed like the better choice for her. Thankfully, due to Patch's size, most of the towns were connected by some simple but nice roadways. It seemed like it was gonna be an easy journey. After a little bit of walking on the road, a small truck came into Ruby's view up ahead. It looked kind of like it'd broken down or something, but it wasn't like Ruby knew how to fix cars and such. Her original intent was just to walk on by and pretend like it wasn't her problem when a sound reached her ear. It was crying.

"Heeeelp!"

It was coming from the truck. Without delay Ruby immediately dashed towards the truck, arriving in less than a second. When she got there, she immediately could see what the issue was. Trapped inside of the truck were several people, a family by the looks of it. And outside the vehicle, clawing ferociously on the door, just happened to be a few Beowolves. They weren't anything special, at least not compared to what Ruby was used to. The growth of the plates made it obvious they were little more than pups, being covered only a little on the head, and slightly on the arms. Drawing her blade, Ruby held the blade at her side, got into a low stance, and sprang from her position towards the Grimm. It wasn't even a battle. Four neophyte Grimm vs. a battle hardened killer/ huntress. The results were obvious after the first two were cut down with a single stroke. Before the other two could full comprehend what had happened, they'd too lost their heads. After confirming there were no other Grimm in the immediate vicinity, she returned her blade to the sheathe and looked towards the family.

"Th-thank you miss. You saved our lives. But now the door's jammed. Can you call for some help?"

"No need. Just sit back." Drawing her blade once again, Ruby tapped the runes, feeling the faint hum begin. Taking a breath, she took a step back. Taking a swipe towards the hinges, she was rewarded from the swing of her blade with the sound of metal being cleaved. Replacing her sword into the scabbard, Ruby grabbed the door, now severed from the hinges, and pried it off. "Are you alright?"

"Yes ma'am, thank you. My family and I, we owe our lives to you. The names Mason. Mason Ashe. This here's my family; my wife Sarah, and my two kids Elias and Alexis. We were driving along, trying to reach the next town over when our truck just shut down. I got out of the car to take a look see, but just when I popped the hood I heard the kids screaming. When I looked around I saw those four charging at me, and I promptly returned to the vehicle and locked the doors. We were just about to give up hope before you arrived."

"It's nothing," Ruby said, the family's intense gazes making her feel slightly uncomfortable. They were looking at her in an odd, sort of reverent way. Like she was a hero. Her, a "hero". Yeah right. "I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. I was on my way to the next town as well."

"Then if you don't mind waiting while I check the truck, I'd be more than happy to give you a lift. And even though I know my worry is probably misplaced, with night about to fall soon I'd rather not let a young lady like yourself going walking around on your own."

"Uhm, sure. I guess I'd be glad to accept a ride." The man, Mason, was right. Night would be falling soon, and while Ruby had absolutely no qualms about walking through the night to reach her destination, or hunting down a good tree to take a nap in, it would behoove her to accept the offer she was given and just ride along to the next town. While waiting for Mason to get done with the car, Ruby ended up being questioned intensely by the two children, their mother watching on silently, smiling all the while.

"How did you get so strong miss?"

"A lot of training."

"Do you defeat monsters all the time?"

"Yup. _All_ the time."

"Are you a huntress?"

"Uhh, not quite. I used to be."

"Why'd you stop if you're so strong?"

"I- I ended up fighting with a few friends who kind of stabbed me in the back. After that, I left them behind and went off on my own."

"Oh goodness me, I'm sorry about them prying into that kind of personal matter," Sarah interjected. "Honestly kids, you shouldn't ask such personal questions from people you've just met. Be a little more respectful."

"No, no. It's fine Mrs. Ashe. It's not that much of a sensitive matter. Really."

"Alright, if you say so."

She was kind, Ruby mused. Very much so. And so very motherly too. The feeling of a mother, huh? Not something Ruby remembered very well. It was... how long ago was it exactly? The days blended into weeks. The weeks into months And the months into years. Before, she would keep track rigorously, always remembering the times she spent with her own mother, and remembering the day that the courier came to her house bearing a message for their father about her mother's fate. But over the past five or so years, she'd slowly began to discard such memories, instead trying to kill off those feelings of sentiment to make what she was doing, what she felt she had to do, easier.

"So Mrs. Ashe-"

"Please, call me Sarah, uhh..."

"Oh, right. I forgot to introduce myself, didn't I? I'm... Rose. Thorne Rose."

"Would it be alright to just call you Rose then? It's such a pretty name after all."

"Uh, sure." Ruby was slightly taken back by the sudden comment. She'd always loved her name, her keepsake from her mother. Much like the wild flower itself, she felt that her mother had embodied the concept; beautiful, and dangerous. She had her own thorns, and those very thorns lead her to chose the life of a huntress. A life that stole her from Ruby. "Rose is fine with me."

"Your name," Sarah began, a slightly sorrowful look in her eye beginning to form. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that. It's just that there was once a nice woman who lived around the island before. She had the same name as you. Well, not the exact same name."

"Who-?"

"Her name... it was something like Summer I believe. Yes, that was it. Summer Rose. She lived with her husband, and I think they had two little daughters too. Are you perhaps...?"

"No," Ruby said, remaining calm on the outside while being shaken inside. "I'm sorry, but I don't know this lady or her family. It's a coincidence, a strange one at that I suppose. Maybe I can meet her while I'm here."

"I'm sorry, but that won't be possible. She was a huntress, you see. A good one from what I'd heard. Apparently she went for a rather dangerous mission one day. After that, she didn't return. Her youngest daughter kept her name, and the way she spoke about her mother returning was almost heartbreaking. I'm sorry, the conversation has turned rather depressing, hasn't it?"

"Oh no, it's fine. Really. In my line of work, you deal with a lot of people dying. It's fine." Yeah, sure. Right now, just hearing someone else mention her mother had Ruby a little messed up inside. This woman knew her mother? Perhaps she could wrest some details...? No, it doesn't matter. She'd already claimed no relation to her mother, and prying into her would just set off some alarm bell or another. If anything, it was best that her mother not be associated with a sick murderer like herself anyhow. "Seems like your husband has finished with the truck."

Just as Ruby'd said, Mason was waving over to Ruby and the others, beckoning them back to the vehicle. Sure enough, the tuck was apparently good enough to get moving again. After the family got in Ruby took to the bed of the truck, took a reclining position, and decided to stare at the clouds for the duration of the ride.

* * *

After the little incident with the Grimm before, the rest of the ride was rather uneventful, much to the gratitude of the Ashe family. After a small back and forth with Mason and Sarah, about most inns being closed at this time and it being inappropriate for such a young woman to be out alone at night, Ruby finally accepted their offer of hospitality and decided to spend the night in their home. When she got there, she was pleasantly surprised at what she found.

Their home, while it might not have seemed overly impressive from the outside, was rather homely inside. It was furnished rather simply, nothing extravagant or overdone. It was nice and simple, just the way Ruby was used to and enjoyed. After they got through the door, Sarah moved to the kitchen to begin to prepare dinner. Mason went out back to grab some wood for the fireplace. And all the while, Ruby was made (though not really against her will) to keep the children company. Talking with them revealed a few things. Elias was apparently a smart kid, already learning at a grade that Ruby's education would put at around middle school level. Rather impressive for his age. Alexis was a sporty girl, as it seemed all she ever spoke about was regularly whooping the boys in a variety of different sports. Listening to the two of them reminded her of the children back at the orphanage, and it kinda made her wanna return quickly. Especially with how she missed the younger ones. How they'd always "sneak" into her room (of course there was no way you could sneak up on someone as adept with sensing Aura as her, but what they didn't know and all that) and wake her up playfully. Those times, Ruby found completely peaceful. It was sometimes enough to make her consider abandoning her grudge against the system that took her mother and her innocence from her. But all of the crap that she experiences and goes through, just all further serves to reinforce her desire to put a stop to them. Those mercenary existences with more power than they should alone hold.

But such thoughts are wasted in present company. So matching the mood, Ruby adopted a demeanor similar to how she was with her little ones and remained brighter and more cheery for the rest of the night. Dinner was amazing, their hospitality was great, and all in all Ruby felt at peace. It was a good choice that she'd made to stay here. Setting herself up on the couch to retire for the night, Ruby mused on how interesting her first day back home was. Of course tomorrow, she'd have to set out or the town of her birth once more. But for now, she might as well take it easy and rest a bit. After all, the Queen must have her sleep, no?

* * *

Atlas. It is a kingdom that can be described summarily in one word. Elite. Their economy. Their military. Everything. Atlas itself is a nation of structure and power. So then, which kingdom is best to be called the home of one of Remnant's most powerful corporate families, the Schnee's? Obviously this one.

And in that kingdom, within that company, and tied to a single chair in an overly large and solitary office was one Schnee in particular. Weiss. Weiss Schnee, who had tied so hard to escape the family business ended up instead becoming one of the executives. While she still tried to be a huntress, that life was more or less taken from her already by her family's will.

"Ms. Schnee," Weiss' head snapped up, almost having dozed off at work. Maybe she should try to sleep more at night? "There's an appointment for you in two hours with the Executive Committee regarding the case about the Dust shipments being stolen."

"Huh? Oh, right, that meeting. Yeah, sure. I'll make sure to get there. Remind me in another hour or so. In the meantime, I wish not to be disturbed."

"As you wish Ms. Schnee." And with that, the secretary left, again leaving Weiss in her overly large office.

Without reservation, she let a sigh escape her lips. So many things had been weighing on her mind as of late, ranging from the trivial to the downright vital. So few precious hours had been granted to her for rest, and it began to take it's toll on her. It was at times like this that she escaped into reveries of the past, memories of her time spent at Beacon. At least, some of the time she was there. Especially in her former team, one that even now still forms on her lips whenever she grew weary.

"RWBY..."

It was a name that brought many memories to her mind. However, she was spoiled rotten back then, a fact that only in retrospect seems to become clear. She honestly did love the team she had at that time, or so she thought, but she was jealous of the one in charge of the team. Ruby. Ruby Rose, to be more specific. She and plenty of her other classmates hated the young girl, who'd managed to skip into Beacon two years ahead of schedule due to some run-in with the notorious criminal Roman Torchwick. On top of it all, her grades, while impressive in the practical portion, were severely lagging in book area. A dunce like that made it into Beacon. At that time, she'd felt like she was being mocked, ridiculed. To be made to serve under that little wretch, it was far too much to bear.

But only now does she realize she enjoyed those times. The twinge in her heart when teaching Ruby almost made her feel like she was a younger sister to her at that time. And on top of it all, she even got along with the other two; the quiet cat girl Blake, and Ruby's actual sister Yang. And in the end, she destroyed them with her own hands.

Yes, she did. Overcome by jealousy when it was announced that Ruby would be representing Beacon, representing _her_, in a kingdom wide tournament, her and the other students lost it. It seemed like a bad joke, right? One where the world's eyes would be watching, and they would see that child, who could barely pass her non-practical classes, representing them. It was too much to bear. And then they crossed the line. They actually killed her. A blade right through the back, blood profusely covering the dense forest grounds where the deed had taken place. It seemed so surreal at the time, none of them could actually believe what they'd just helped do. But it was too late, and they fled. They'd fabricated a story, and that lie eventually became the truth. And each had sworn that the truth would go with them to their graves, an almost ominous prediction in hindsight. Dead men tell no tales, that much is true. But they certainly hold grudges. That night, Ruby did not die. In fact, what happened was they simply twisted something inside of her, and the end result was a monster being born. The Red Queen of Grimm. A woman so highly feared for her ability to control Grimm, and the sheer umber of bodies left in her wake, that the Hunter's Association was beside itself trying to find and stop her. It was almost laughable too, to think that so young a girl could have become so cruel at such a young age.

"Then again, who am I to speak?"

That's right, she was nobody. And the reason she could not speak out against the Red Queen? Simple. The moment she did, her life would be over. Any Hunter who tries to kill another person is instantly incarcerated for life. The Light turning on itself would only breed opportunity for the Darkness that wished to consume them all. When Ozpin, the headmaster of Beacon found out the circumstances, he threatened Weiss and her surviving conspirators to silence.

"This world," he said, "needs huntsmen and huntresses. Without them, we would fall. Should any of you speak about Ruby becoming the Red Queen, know that I will personally see to each and every one of you being branded criminals. This mess is your problem. If you wish to try and redeem yourselves, then stay on the path you currently walk and become Hunters. And should you die on a hunt, know that it will be your repentance. Am I understood?"

As such, Weiss' lost her right to choose in life. Or perhaps it was more accurate to say she'd been given only two choices; remain a huntress and die fighting the Grimm, or enter the family business like she'd been pressured to. The freedom she sought was destroyed by her own hands, and right now she payed for it, every day of her life.

"It was my fault. She was turned into that monster with these hands. So isn't it my responsibility to solve this problem with these hands too? But it's not like there's much I can do."

In her moment of self pity, her Scroll began to beep. It was not the regular tone she used for other people. It was the one set for the HA, when a new job or posting came up. But when she opened the Scroll, it wasn't the notification of a bounty. It was a message addressed directly to her. And from the looks of the recipients, to almost every Hunter on the face of Remnant.

'Greetings. As many of you know, our world has been threatened by Grimm for far too long, but they have always been disorganized and could never break us. But the rise of The Red Queen of Grimm has seen to that our previous feelings of security have been shattered. This is no longer an independent bounty, but rather it is now being brought into a higher power's hands. As of this moment, the Red Queen task force is being formed, and we wish for the participation of all A-Rank and higher Hunters out there.

For the peace of our kingdoms, and the safety of our children, we shall end the Red Queen and her reign.'

"W-what the heck...?"

* * *

And it was not just Weiss with that reaction. All across Remnant, various Hunters were having an appropriately similar reaction, especially three others in particular. What Jaune had said was correct. This world is rejecting the Red Queen, and like with a virus, will see her eliminated no matter what. But she had no way of knowing these things, right? Especially not the soundly sleeping young lady who bears that title. The dawn was rising on a new day for her, and for Remnant.

And so the Queen opened her eyes, and the second Crusade began.

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Hello there, Dravyn LeCrux here. **

**I'd like to first of all start out by saying I apologize for having been gone so long. The boat isn't exactly making life easy, and I barely get time to write. This chapter alone, which really only should've taken me two or three days at worst, took several months of careful planning and time budgeting (read as skipping meals and sleep) to complete. As for other works of mine, current chapters are in progress and should be seeing the light of day next time I have a stable enough connection on my laptop. Which is to say, I'm not entirely sure when those will be. Sorry.**

**As it were, sorry for the slow chapter. Not much else I can say but that I'm trying to build up to a major arc, and yet the lack of time I have here keeps me very fragmented in my works. I'm between a few different things, plus work crap, and it's killing my ADD. It took me an entire night to read over this and make sure I didn't accidently write something from Love is a Knight-mare or The Grimm's Rose in here, and if I did to rewrite it and reformat the story. Go figure. **

**Anyhow, again I'm sorry for the late release. I'm trying to do more soon, so bear with me here. Anyhow, I'll see you as soon as possible.**

**Dravyn out!**


	9. Family Issues

"The morning feels so nice." Of course Ruby had gotten up before the rest of the Ashe family so as to avoid any further complications. She enjoyed last night very much so, and she honestly felt regret at having to leave so soon. Such a lively family was, after all, a very comfortable place for Ruby who was used to the daily life at the orphanage. In the end however, she had something to do and a reason to not get close. Of course nobody would, or rather nobody _should_, recognize her so easily. There wasn't much of an issue there. No. She just wanted to avoid getting too close to people here.

So she left early. The sun's rose colored rays had just barely begun to crawl over the horizon, dying the world in a light red. Well maybe not the world itself. Or rather it was just her world, the world she herself could immediately see and touch. On top of it all, the cool breeze felt simply amazing. There really was no better travel time than this. Of course at her waist was her Bloody Rose. Of course it wasn't like she could just casually carry around Crescent Rose, even if it was just a gun right now. If anyone who recognized her or her weapon saw it, no doubt it would cause troubles. So for now she kept it in her bag, which had been Dust augmented to increase the inner size limit for capacity. Of course it's not like she over did it. There was enough space for Crescent Rose, a few changes of clothes, storage for some Lien and her Scroll. And to top it off, a small repair and maintenance kit for her gear.

Regardless of her expectations, however, the journey so far proved to be uneventful. No Grimm have attacked her, and not very many travelers have passed her on the roads. All in all, it was just rather calm this morning. Of course with such nice circumstances for once, Ruby couldn't help but let out a tiny smile at the feeling of such tranquility. This made her wish that someday she would be able to try and settle her again.

"Tch, yeah right. If I ever tried that, the island would become awash with rivers of blood. The Styx would no longer just be a myth." Of course, a round of self derision quickly got rid of that thought. Just as Ruby allowed herself to be a little lost in her thoughts, she heard her ringtone begin to go off. Pulling out her Scroll, she saw she was getting a call from Sang. Rather ironic considering the circumstances around her... But, whatever. Without hesitation, she picked up.

"Hello, Sang? Why are you calling me? I thought you normally just sent me messages."

"_Hello? Master?_"

"Hmm? Is that Elena? Why are you using Sang's Scroll?"

"_Ahh, about that... It seems that during a little scuffle, my Scroll was irreparably damaged. I'd borrowed Master Sanguis' Scroll so as to check up on you. Are you well? Did you manage to find shelter last night? Did you eat a proper and well balanced meal?_"

"Whoa, whoa! One question at a time, okay Elena? Well, I'm fine as you can see. And I kinda lodged with a nice family last night after I helped them with a minor Grimm problem. So don't worry, I managed to eat a nice, well balanced meal to boot."

"_Is that so? That is good then. I shall bother you no longer then, Master. Good luck with your current mission._"

"Thanks Elena. I'll finish up here as quickly as I can and return soon. Stay well, and keep everyone in line. Bye."

"_Goodbye, Master. I shall endeavor to call you again at a later time. Until then, take care._"

Yup. Ruby was truly blessed to have made such good friends ever since the last ones she'd had went and stabbed her in the back. Ruby felt fortunate sometimes from the result of that one fateful moment. Of course that did nothing to erase the ire that lurk deep within her heart, and the hatred she still felt towards them. Those four she failed to get due to the professor's interference. It still weighed heavily on her mind sometimes. She'd told them, all of them, that she was there only top get the chance to kill them. But when push comes to shove, she still failed. That failure left her feeling hollow, something she rather attributes to the fact that she couldn't get them. Of course, even she couldn't tell how she felt. Sometimes, she wasn't even sure if she felt anything while doing the killing any more. It was scary sometimes. But oh well. She's already begun to walk down this path, and she would not stop until she either succeeded, or died. One way or another, the world would burn. And whether or not she was that spark would rest solely upon just how strong her will was, and how far she was willing to go. Then again, there was no doubt in anybody's mind that she had the will. Especially with the trail of bodies she's left in her wake over the past half a decade. No. Everyone was aware that she could, and _would_, set the world alight. There were only two questions on their minds at this point; How long would it take her, and would they be able to quench the blaze before it reduces everything man has built to nothing?

Then again, Ruby herself was more or less unaware of what they thought, or how they viewed her. All she knew was that her alias was hated on just about every corner of Remnant, and that possibly every sentient existence on the face of the planet wanted her head on a silver platter. Of course, they wouldn't be able to get it without a fight.

Of course such thoughts just randomly floated around in her head, but it helped pass the time. That, and her Scroll was running low on juice. Sadly, she couldn't just plug in her earphones and begin to blast some music to make the situation go by quicker. In hindsight, not charging her Scroll the previous night seemed like a major mistake to Ruby at this point. Heaving a great sigh, Ruby realized there wasn't really much of a point in complaining about it at this point. She would just have to get over it and continue on to the next town without any sort of entertainment. Maybe. Who knows? If she was lucky, she might encounter a bunch of Grimm. At least the fight would provide for a welcome distraction, and a bit of training. Two things she was always more than glad to have. But whatever. That was something she would think on later. As it were, morning was swiftly turning to noon as the sun was already almost completely overhead. Looking down at her shadow and noting the position, Ruby did a little mental math and calculated that at least seven or eight hours had passed since she'd begun to move. Well, it's not like she was in a major rush or anything. Finding a nice tree nearby, Ruby hopped in- no, that is not a metaphor, as she literally jumped all the way up onto the tree- and settled down. Throwing her hood over her eyes and leaning back, Ruby set her Scroll to energy save mode and threw an alarm on for an hour. After a quick rest, she would resume. And definitely find some food.

* * *

And on a different patch of ground (pun only half intended here), not so far from where Ruby herself slept was a certain young, blonde haired woman. Unexpectedly, this once boisterous young woman had settled down with her father and their dog, and mostly stuck to local hunts to make ends meet. But she didn't mind. It was a life she'd chosen for now, and she was more than happy to stick with it. Hers days were, on average, very normal. She would wake up early, oftentimes rising with the sun, and she would begin the day's worth of chores. Make breakfast for her and her father. Begin on any laundry they might have. If there was none, she would go out and begin to tend to the small garden that grew in the back of their home. Of course, it was more like a very modest vegetable garden. But still, she did it without any real complaining.

On one such morning, she was again in the garden when her father called her in, a guest apparently having had come in for her. A request probably, most likely for the usual. Before finishing up, she carefully finished watering the current plant she was working on. Dusting herself off real quick, she hurriedly ran into the house.

"Hello? Oh, hi Mrs. Marie. How can I help you today?"

"Yang, dearie. You're looking more and more lovely every time I see you. Oh how I wish I was still so young and beautiful."

"Heh, don't worry about it. No doubt most of the old men still try to look you up on a lonely day, huh?" Of course Yang was always in a good mood, and knew how to get along with just about everyone.

"Oh hoh, dearie. You're always so kind. Well, down to business," Mrs. Marie said, finally getting to the heart of the matter. "There's been a pack of Beowolves on the prowl outside of the town's limits, a little bit north of here. They're been causing some trouble for travellers and merchants, and business is taking a hit due to it. Would you please be a dear and handle it?"

"Heh, it's just some 'wolves. I could do that in my sleep."

"Always so reliable. I'm glad you came back after you graduated. It's so nice to have such a strong huntress nearby to help around here."

"Yeah. I'll let you know of the results by tomorrow."

"Hmm. I figured you'd be done as quick as always though, dearie."

"Well, I have to finish watering the strawberries later. Once I'm done with that, and a little more, I'll head off. and when the job is finished, it'll probably be rather late." Saying with such confidence, Yang sent off Mrs. Marie with a smile, and went back to watering her garden. Yeah, it would be as annoying as always to handle the small fry, but it kept the residents safe, and paid some bills. It was a double win for her. Psyching herself up, Yang finished up with the watering and went back inside. There was still plenty to do; hanging the clothes up to dry, preparing lunch, and then getting changed into something a little more suited to hunting.

"So North, huh? This is gonna be one hell of a walk. It'd probably be easier to take Bumblebee." What was Bumblebee? Her motorcycle. If there are three things in this world Yang loves, in order they would be her family, her hair, and her bike. Pulling her bike out of the shed used to protect it from the elements, and act as a sort of garage for her to do a little bit of work on it here and there, Yang hopped on. Her outfit had changed from her previous casual wear consisting of a blouse and some shorts to a more free one. Of course she was still wearing shorts, though these actually went around mid thigh. She wore a bright yellow tank top with a simple leather jacket. her boots extended up to her knees, and were the same type of leather as her jacket. Around her arms she wore her two favorite weapons, her Ember Celica. Golden bracelets that would, when she needed them to, extend into a pair of beautiful gauntlets capable of further increasing the power of her strikes. Letting her bike come to life, Yang took off towards the mission area. It was time to earn her bread, so to speak.

Arriving to the specified area, Yang felt a little apprehension. It was quiet, especially for an area a pack of Grimm are said to be stalking about. Normally they would make more noise, be a little dumber. Hell, Beowolves are notoriously stupid as far as Grimm go. They usually don't live long, and as such the number of Alpha's one can expect to meet within a two or three year period can often be counted on a single hand, maybe two at the worst. As such, packs of them tended to lean more towards being reckless and easily killed. Hell, ones that hadn't even begun their plate growth were little more than a slight nuisance. But with little to no Grimm in sight, Yang was far more worried than if she was facing several dozen at once. She'd heard the rumors, that more and more Grimm out in Remnant had been acting differently, that they'd begun to change. The darkness was evolving, the shadows were shifting, and nobody could tell where to shine the light so as to expose this farce of nature.

"It doesn't matter," Yang told herself, taking a great sigh. Whatever she fought, she would destroy. She had to keep the people safe, and she had to return to her father at the end of these hunts. She couldn't end up like her step-mother. She couldn't just leave her family behind in the same way that Summer did. If she had, then no doubt her father would be torn apart from grief. Especially so soon after what had happened to her sister. He would be irreparably crushed. So Yang would survive. However her instincts were screaming at her to head back and maybe bring along some help, or a better plan. Something wasn't right here.

And as if she was tempting some sort of asshole god or another, that very second a Beowolf decided to lunge out from one of the trees and attempt to take a swipe at her. Of course, it being just a Beowolf which had barely begun the plate growth on it's head, it didn't last long. Catching the Grimm's claw in one hand, Yang allowed her gauntlets to whir to life, extending to their full form. After they had, she calmly pointed her unoccupied fist at the 'wolf, who was then forcefully yanked into said fist. Repeatedly. And once Yang had figured she'd done her part in giving the poor thing brain damage, she reared back her fist and again threw a punch towards the thing's head, releasing a shot from the chamber at the knuckles of her weapon straight into the Beowolf's jaw. As such, everything from the neck up was completely blown off of the thing. But it didn't matter. In a bit, there would no longer be a corpse. It would vanish like every other Grimm did when killed. Which was good. Taking a look around, and keeping her ears open, Yang could hear quite a force gathering around her. If the bodies had stuck around, she'd likely end up falling over herself once or twice. Especially with the absurd number that would soon be littering the floor.

"Alright then. Bring it!"

* * *

*BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP* *BEEP BEEP*

By the time Ruby had finally awoken, she'd checked her Scroll only to find three things out. The first, she'd overslept, missing her intended time. By about three hours. The second, she's accidently set the snooze to go off every hour, somehow. And three, her Scroll was literally 1% of it's battery from dying.

"Fuck me... Now what am I gonna do? Damnit."

Colorful language aside, Ruby's displeasure was obvious. It's not like it was the end of the world for her, but no GPS would make further travel a pain. Using the remaining one percent as efficiently as she could, Ruby pulled up the map one more time and searched for the nearest road, pleasantly surprised to find it within a short walking distance about south east of her location. Maybe a few minutes and she would reach it. Perfect. Hopping down, Ruby put the now dead Scroll back in it's space and began to move. It shouldn't take her too long at this point. And that was some good news she supposed.

Or rather it was supposed to be, but very soon an all too familiar sound reach Ruby's keen ears. The sound of conflict.

"Oh for the love of- Does every living and unliving thing on the face of Remnant want me to fight?!" Heaving a massive sigh, Ruby pulled Crescent Rose out and threw it onto her back. Keeping her hand on Bloody Rose, she advanced slowly but surely towards the commotion, praying all the while that it would be over before she reached them. Of course lady luck, as always, decided to give her the short end of the stick. Reaching the location of the noise, Ruby found a horde of Beowolves attacking a lone woman. They seemed to have the advantage in numbers, but she was obviously holding her own rather well. However, the way she fought seemed vaguely familiar. Strikes, augmented with two yellow gauntlets...?

"Y-Yang?" Ruby whispered to herself. If there was one person she didn't want catching her, it was her older sister. Slipping back a little further into the shade, Ruby got low, removed Crescent Rose from her back, and took a better look at the situation through the scope on her gun. Getting better view helped confirm that the woman in question was definitely Yang. Aside from the obvious golden-blonde hair, her flaming red eyes, and the sheer amount of fire and explosions that were rocking the force of Beowolves with impunity were dead giveaways. It could be nobody else. Of course Ruby didn't worry too much about her older sister's safety. If it was the Yang from five years ago, then dispatching this number of such a minor opponents like these pathetic beasts. And she doubted her sister was still like that, or any weaker. No doubt those Beowolves were in for some hell.

Well, just seeing Yang a little, even if it was through a weapon scope, was enough for Ruby. At this point, trying to go and see her father would likely make things even harder for her. Her intention was simply to leave after observing a little more when something caught her eye. Something in the back, among the number of Beowolves. One stood out. Larger than the rest, it's body more heavily covered in the white plating their kind is known for. It wasn't just an Alpha. No. It was an Enigma!

The Enigma are what the Hunter's Association had come to calling the rare variant of Grimm that were evolved past the norm. Of course Ruby and her group knew the reason behind this, but it seems that hadn't become public knowledge. However, with an Enigma variant among those 'wolves, they would no doubt pose a threat to Yang. After all, Ruby had more experience with Enigmas than anyone else, her most loyal Grimm being one itself. Dinah.

Thoughts of retreat disappearing from her mind, Ruby took action swiftly. Hoping up into the trees, Ruby extended Crescent Rose to the max it could currently go, and began to line up the scope with her own sight. If it would help Yang out, then Ruby was all for providing a little support fire for her older sister. Setting her sights on some of the larger looking ones towards the backside, Ruby took aim and began to fire. No round missed it's target, each hitting the Grimm precisely in lethal areas. Heads torn open, gaping holes where the heart would be assumed to lie. It wasn't turning out well for them. An assailant was taking them down with the precision of the grim reaper, and from where none of them could tell. While Yang ripped through their ranks from the front, Ruby cut them apart from out of sight. And to keep them guessing, she was constantly jumping around while firing down on the Beowolves. None could find her because there was no one point. Using her speed and agility, Ruby was hopping from branch to branch, limb to limb. When she'd land, she'd stabilize herself, fire a few times, and then move again. Hell, sometimes to make it across a larger gap or just because she could she would fire during her jumps. Needless to say, with her help, the group was swiftly cut down. All that remained were a handful of the minions, as well as the Enigma.

"Wow, that was quick. I figured there were more than this. Maybe I'm just that good?" Yang's confidence was pretty high, and it wasn't to Ruby's detriment to let her think so. But with the Enigma still around, she didn't want to leave anything to chance. Keeping her sights on the thing, Ruby carefully observed the going ons from a stationary position. "Okay then, it's just you and me ugly. And well, I guess your minions here too? Whatever, let's go!" Saying so, Yang launched herself at the nearest Grimm and before it could even yelp blew it's head off. The next two didn't offer much resistance either, soon leaving Yang alone with the Enigma variant. Ruby still didn't relax her vigilance, remaining on top of the situation from her perch in the trees. Should the thing have twitched a muscle out of place, Ruby would turn it into a birdhouse. Although Yang wasn't as patient, as she immediately went in to close quarters with the thing. Not bothering to slow down even a little, Yang began firing off lefts and rights, and I mean that in both the literal _and_ metaphorical sense, at the Beowolf. It didn't do much though, as while the impact was definitely keeping it off balance the Grimm hardly showed itself to be any worse for wear. In an attempt to swat her away, the 'Wolf took a swipe, sending her back a good few yards. It just made her angrier.

"Okay, is that all you've got?!"

Apparently not, as the thing made yet another lunge for her. This time, it was knocked off a bit by a well placed round in it's flank. It's balance disturbed, Yang had the perfect opportunity to yet again lay into the beast, her strikes proving to be further effective than the last attempt, what with her Semblance further empowering her from the previous attack and the impact from landing. Of course by this point, Ruby's worry was swiftly being assuaged. After all, Yang managed to fight toe to toe with Dinah for a short while after having taken enough damage. If she could do that, then realistically there wasn't much to worry about. After long enough, Yang finally gave one last uppercut, sending the 'Wolf flying back and leaving it down.

"Whew. That was a thing, huh? Oh well, job done. And a lot sooner than expected. Nice~!" Turning her back, Yang began to walk away, Ember Celica winding back to it's bracelet form, when a noise behind her caught her off guard. The Beowolf got up and was charging at her! Activating her weapons wouldn't work in time. As Yang was contemplating how best to get out of dodge, the Grimm stopped in it's tracks, a large calibre bullet coming clear out from the back of it's skull and turning the front into a black mist, then burying itself right in front of her feet. With the Grimm's body beginning to vanish, Yang was sure it was dead now. But who shot the Beowolf?

"Who's out there?! Who did that?! Damnit, answer me!" But there would be no response, as after she'd finished there, Ruby'd already retreated further from the scene, only keeping sight on it now again through the scope on Crescent Rose. "There's no way. Ruby, is that you?! It has to be! Nobody else could shoot like that! Come on Ruby, come out! Please. It's me, Yang!" As Ruby just sat there, listening to Yang until her words soon became entangled with sobs. The scene was heartbreaking to Ruby, but still better than what could've happened. If a Grimm like that had gotten it's hands on Yang, even with her defensive capability it would have torn her Aura apart relatively quick. She would not regret having let herself be known here. But, Ruby would regret having to leave her older sister behind yet again.

"Sorry Yang, but it's still better this way. Good bye."

* * *

Without looking back, Ruby retreated from the scene. She would now return to her castle, to her home. And from there, she would go back to what she does best. Making heads roll.

* * *

***A/N***

**Uhh, new chapter? **

**Hey, it's me again. Just popping bye to say the usual "hi" to you guys. Not much else to say though, really. I wish I were a better conversationalist.**

**Well, you know the usual shtick. See ya later.**

**Dravyn out.**


	10. Goodbye

It was a lovely morning, and Ruby awoke to the sounds of the children at play like always...

* * *

Or at least that's how it should have been, but we all know how air terminals work.

That night, Ruby had returned from seeing Yang in the forest. The feeling from seeing her older sister once more made Ruby's heart ache with longing, longing for the family she'd cast aside so many years ago. But as it were, she could not go back. Not with how she was now. And she knew it. She also hoped that Yang knew it too. But all of this and that just took it's toll on Ruby, draining her mentally and spiritually. When she'd gotten back to town and found an inn to rest in, Ruby'd fallen asleep immediately. No changing her clothes, taking a quick bath, or even eating. Nope. She just simply fell into her bed and immediately fell asleep.

Fast forward about nine or ten hours, and here Ruby was at the terminal. And wouldn't you know it?

'_Flight seven-eighteen en route from Patch Airlines to Vale Intercontinental has been canceled due to inclement weather. We apologize for any and all inconvenience this has caused you. If you would please leave your contact information with the front desk, we can inform you of when a new flight has been scheduled. Thank you for your cooperation, and have a nice day._'

"You have got to be fucking kidding me."

Well, it looked like Ruby was going to be spending a little more time home. Fantastic. Well, the worst it would do to her is leave her behind schedule a bit. And here she'd wanted so badly to see Yel's cute face again. Heaving a sigh, Ruby decided that it wasn't worth sticking around and left the airport. Returning to the inn she had stayed at the previous night, Ruby once again rented a room and settled in. Until she got the notification, there wasn't much she could do. Well, she could always call up Sang or Elena and have them send one of the Griffon's or Nevermore's to pick her up. But when all things were considered, it was more likely that would alert someone to her being on the island and would likely cause a bigger headache than it was worth. I mean Oum forbid Yang actually found Ruby. That wouldn't end too terribly well. Well, Ruby at least kew the odds of that happening were non-existent. Yang obviously had a life here, and most likely wouldn't abandon it for the sister that threw her away five years ago. Nobody would go that far.

Well, lounging around and doing nothing wasn't exactly something Ruby took great comfort in. In fact, if she had to say anything it would be that sitting around basically drove her crazy. Changing her clothes to some less restrictive shorts and a crimson tank top, Ruby tied up her hair and left her room, Bloody Rose hanging on her waist. Moving a good deal out into the forest, she took a minute to confirm nobody was around before she began. It wasn't exactly anything more than that she simply didn't want people to see her when she was practicing like this. Friends and family were one thing, but there weren't very many of those around here. Well at least not ones she wanted to see.

Throwing away the feelings she held, Ruby began her training. Basic maneuvers of the blade that flowed from one strike into the next. With her blade as her needle, Ruby wove the tapestry of a warrior into the very air she cut. One of bloodshed and pain. Her moves ever sharp, and her heart ever hardened, she continuously drew arcs through the air, dicing up the imaginary opponents she faced. Slowly, but surely, Ruby began to feel it. She was further throwing away those nuisances, those thoughts that disturbed her concentration. Swish, swish, stab. The basic motions repeated one, ten, one hundred times over. And over, and over. The one hundred swiftly turned to a thousand, and her movements still didn't stop. She was ceasing to be a human, and became simply a machine. One that brought death and destruction, one that would not rust even washed in the rivers of blood it had shed. No. She simply just attacked, and attacked, and attacked. Invisible phantoms lost their limbs and their lives to her merciless and unceasing blade. But it wasn't enough. Ruby simply lost herself to her blade, swinging for an hour, two. Until her lungs began to scream for air, she continued. And finally, when she'd finally had enough, Ruby began to slow. Eventually, she came to a halt. There was fire in her lungs, and sweat poured from every pore on her body. But she felt satisfied as always when she'd finished her training. Moving over to where she'd set down a bottle of water earlier, Ruby eagerly began to drink it. After a few gulps, however, she noticed something was amiss. Bringing the water from her lips, Ruby began to look around.

"Whoever's there, show yourself. Do know that if I find you, I won't hold back." Silence still greeted her. Ruby may not have had a faunus' sight or hearing, but she did know that someone was out there, watching her. For how long, she had no clue. But she knew they were around, and it was pissing her off. "You have until I count to three. Any longer than that and I _will_ come for you." At this point, she was honestly getting pissed. "One!" Silence. "_Two_!" The air was as still as before. "Thr-!"

"Honestly, you used to have so much more patience." Before Ruby could finish her count, a voice came from behind her. Whirling around, she saw someone step out from the tree line. And who it was left her speechless. "You know, I never took you for the type to want red eyes. I always thought that your silver ones were so beautiful."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. Just who are you?"

"Cut with the crap, Ruby. Or do you really not recognize your own sister?"

". . ."

* * *

"Hello Professor."

"Ahh, Jaune. Come in and have a seat. Now, what was it you wanted to talk with me about?"

Currently, Jaune and Professor Ozpin were both seated in his office at Beacon academy. In addition to the two of them were Glynda Goodwitch and Qrow Branwen. It seems the moment Jaune had given him a call, Ozpin had given one to Qrow. Well, with the four of them assembled here, Jaune began to speak his piece.

"I'm assuming you already know what I wanted to talk to you about, so I'll get right to the point. I ran into the Red Queen."

"You 'ran into her'? Just what does that mean?" Qrow asked. It was an obvious question of course.

"Let me start from the beginning. For a while now, I've noticed that she seems to have an obsession with Roman Torchwick. Wherever that guy seems to pop up, the Red Queen tends to also leave a trail of destruction. To date, more than twelve incidents have occurred around Roman Torchwick, all of which were dismissed as nothing. However, looking at the evidence points to there having been Grimm present in all of those incidents. In addition to the Grimm being present were obvious signs of damage from a weapon that utilized a large caliber rifle. Furthermore, most of the damage from said weapon was found alongside damage from the Grimm's attacks on the bodies of the White Fang members who were found supporting Torchwick. From this, I could assume that the Red Queen was after Torchwick, or at least someone he was working with."

"Well damn, this kid's got some brains on him."

"Of course, Qrow. He is one of my students after all."

"Whatever. Continue on kid."

"Yeah, so I've been tracking down any information I could on Roman Torchwick, including current know whereabouts and activity when something popped out at me. A rumor coming from the police department of a small extension of Atlas, called Kronos. I went to investigate personally, and when I compared the rumors to what I knew I found a few things that didn't match up. I added into that the fact that a nearby Grimm threat had reached S class and that the bounty on it was decent, and I assumed The Queen would show up. Even if she didn't want to recruit it, the bounty would always be able to help her. If there's one simple way for someone with strength to make money, it's to take on the larger bounties. Even the Queen is human, so she'd need to eat and afford a place to sleep. I reasoned she'd have multiple reason to come after this bounty. Added to that the fact that there were rumors of Torchwick being around, and I figured it was only a matter of time before she appeared there. So I got there first."

"Amazing. The HA's been after her for so long, and yet you figured this all out by yourself. Kid, I can see some scary potential as a leader in you."

"You're too kind Mr. Branwen. But I'm not so amazing. Even though I finally found her, she escaped. Well, I wasn't so confident I could beat her anyhow. This is Ruby we're talking about here. She's definitely a better fighter than someone who's only been seriously training for about five years or so."

"Still kind of hard to believe that my niece is the one doing all of this. Even if you did explain to to me back then Ozpin."

"My apologies Qrow. It is-"

"If I hear you say it's your fault one more time, I swear I'm gonna throw my alcohol at you. It's the fault of those runts that messed with her that all of this happened." Yeah, to Qrow it was never Ruby's fault. It was the fault of the ones who attacked her. When Ozpin had explained the situation to him, it'd taken everything he had to not go and completely destroy the ones who managed to survive. Well, that and a LOT of urging from Ozpin.

"So Jaune, what do you know about Ruby's movements now?"

"At this moment? Not much honestly. Once she left me lying where I was, I came to by myself. When I began to search through the city for her, checking out inns and hotels and such, I could find no record of anyone who looked like her. I figured by that point, she'd already left the city. Since then, I've gone through a few ideas of where she could be, but none of them really seemed very possible. After that, I contacted you and came here."

"I see. Well Jaune, Qrow, it seems like we have some work to do."

"Good, I'm tired of all this waiting. Let's bring my little niece back home once and for all."

* * *

"Hello? Remnant to Ruby Rose?"

"...ng"

"Huh?"

"I said 'Damnit Yang!' Why are you here?" Ruby was, suffice to say, agitated at the current moment. The sister she'd hoped to avoid was right here, in front of her, and casually talking with little to no concern over the fact that Ruby was an SS~ class criminal. "Just go back!"

"I'm not doing that Ruby. Do you know how long it's been? Five years, seven months, and fourteen days since I've last seen you. Do you know just how painful that was for me? Do you know just how much it hurt to just watch you disappear that day? It was unbearable!"

Ruby honestly couldn't speak. She knew she had no right to either. All she could do was just stand there and listen, listen as Yang poured her heart out. Through her words, Ruby could almost understand the pain Yang felt so long ago.

"Honestly, I had thought it would be impossible to see you again. You suddenly disappeared in a cloud of black roses. That very day, the Hunter's Association Placed a massive bounty on your head, and lead the Red Queen Crusades to try and either capture or kill you. The ending result left many Grimm dead, which actually was a pretty nice thing. But when I'd heard your rank was upped to SS~, I- I..." Yang's words began to mix in with a few sobs here and there. It was warranted, however. "Do you have any idea how scared uncle Qrow and dad and I were for you? SS~ Ruby! With the amount of force necessary for raids against SS~ type enemies, we honestly thought you were done for. We had already given up hope. I'd decided to try and have a normal life with dad. Be a huntress to earn some extra income, and help take care of dad until I finally found a husband or something. I'd thought at the time that I would be fine with that. But then you came back. Why? Why?" Yang's words were mixed with heavy sobbing now, most of which were quickly losing their coherency.

"Y-Yang."

"Why did you have to leave Ruby?!"

"Yang, I already told you why. My hands are too bloodstained to ever be-"

"I don't give a fuck!" At the use of the word, Ruby gave a small flinch. This is because Yang was always careful to keep her language down around Ruby. Whenever she let such a profane word fly, she was angry or shit was about to go down. "We were there for you! They couldn't touch you after that, and they wouldn't! Ozpin all but had them completely pinned down, he had them in leashes afterwards! You could have come back, and you would have been no worse than before. We could have protected you from them, and with the threat of their lives being ruined they could never speak out against you. Nobody ever would have had to know of what you'd done. We could have forgotten about it, gone back to the way things were before. You could have gone on to be am amazing huntress, your name would have been known to the world! You were so amazing. So why?" That last part came out as a barely more than a whisper.

"Yang, I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you guys. You, and Jaune, and the others who actually stood by me. I loved you all. I _love_ you all. But right now, people want my head. Even if you say we can forget about it, do you know of what I've done? What I've had to do? I've killed far too many people by this point. My every instinct is tied to killing now. I can no longer be a person. I'm a 'monster' Yang. I'm a monster that has the taste of blood now. I'm no longer fit to fight the darkness, only to walk with them. As such, It's not like I can be with you guys. I would just cast shadows everywhere I walk. With me around, you guys would only ever feel the cold. I couldn't give anyone that warm, comfortable feeling like you could Yang. It's better if you just think of me as one of the Grimm. Everyone else does already anyhow."

"Ruby, I could never hate you. You may have done some stupid stuff, and you may have become the world's enemy. But I love you, I always have. You're my precious little sister, and nothing could ever change that. A Grimm cannot love, a Grimm cannot feel like we could. They cannot have fun or smile. They can't down entire plates of chocolate chip cookies. But you can. You have. And when you smile, I'd like to see a person who can say that there is anything about you that looks grim. Well, maybe your choice of a color scheme, but that's nothing. Nobody so dark could have ever geeked out about weapons like you do either. Please Ruby, realize that this isn't who you are."

"No Yang, it is who I am now. Please, go away."

"Not without you Ruby," Yang said, Ember Celica now coming to life. "I'll bring you with me. Dad and Zwei are waiting back home, and we're going to see them. Together."

"Yang, you don't have to do this."

In response, Yang said nothing. She instead threw her hands behind her and used the recoil from Ember Celica firing, along with her own strength, to lunge towards Ruby. It was a speed that Yang didn't have before, and it threw Ruby off somewhat. Before she knew it, Yang was a mere foot away from her face. Of course Ruby was faster, but even her speed had a limit. Bending back a bit, Ruby only barely managed to avoid the fist that came flying towards her face. Even if she managed to dodge the direct attack, she could feel the force of the wind and the heat that was behind the fist. Yang wasn't joking around, and Ruby couldn't afford to either. Before Yang could launch another attack, Ruby put some distance between the two of them. Before she could formulate some kind of plan, however, the ground beneath her feet exploded from a round from Yang's weapons. It didn't do much by way of damage, but it threw Ruby off and launched her up a good foot in the air. No Crescent Rose and no foothold left Ruby in a bad position. And Yang capitalized happily. Before Ruby could get back on solid ground, Yang was again in her face and threw out a heavy right. Ruby did all she could to get Bloody Rose in front of her in time to block the attack. While she avoided a direct blow from Yang's heavy fist, she was sent flying. After going quite a distance, she finally impacted a rather thick and heavy tree, and she felt it. After falling to the ground, Ruby was winded. Of course it didn't help that not less than fifteen minutes ago she was brutally training herself. What a lovely time to have been training.

"You know Ruby, next time you try and leave without saying goodbye at least make sure the airline you chose doesn't have such gullible staff. We're going home Ruby. Whether you want to or not."

Standing up, Ruby caught her breath and raised Bloody Rose to an offensive stance. If Yang wouldn't leave peacefully, then Ruby would have to do to her what she did to Jaune. Of course, that wouldn't be as simple, especially with Yang's Semblance to back her. Had Ruby not been training so rigorously before, then running away would have been a simple matter. As it were, she still hasn't recovered enough to get out of dodge. Well, even if she had there was still a limit to how far she could go at maximum speed. But it would have been enough. Right now, she didn't have that luxury. If she fought Yang, her sister would only grow stronger before she was defeated. And if she kept retreating, she would have trouble regaining enough energy to run. At this point, the saying 'between a rock and a hard place' would be most appropriate. Though Ruby would've debated over whether or not Yang's fist was the rock, or the hard place.

"Yang, why can't you just realize that it's impossible for me to return with you?!"

"Because you're my little sister, and I love you! That's why you're coming back with me!"

Yang had the upper hand here, and she knew it. And right now Ruby was also painfully aware of it. Or maybe that was a bruise? At this point, she wasn't a hundred percent sure. But she was aware that this wasn't going to end well for her.

"Crap. Five years, and I finally slip up like this?"

"Yeah. Now grit your teeth Ruby. This is going to hurt a lot. But when you wake up in your bed, surrounded by the ones who love you, it'll be much better. So just bear with it, okay Ruby?"

Yang was just a few yards from Ruby, preparing to strike her as hard as physically possible before it happened. The same as five years ago. A roar that shook the very trees, and threatened to unearth the very ground they stood upon. It was a beastly roar that could chill one to their very marrow. And the cause of this roar now stood before Yang, to protect it's master.

"Dinah!"

Yes, it was Dinah. Standing as large as any Goliath, and covered almost entirely head to toe in alabaster and crimson plate was Dinah, Ruby's oldest and most powerful Grimm companion. It was a beast that no sane hunter would ever wish to fight. The Dinah from years ago couldn't even compare with the monster that stood before Yang.

And right now, Yang cursed the very being that had created this world. As some sick joke, it had finally reunited her with her sister. And yet this insurmountable, unconquerable obstacle had just been put before her, and now impeded her path.

"This is unfair." Yang said as she could only back up. Dinah was not something a lone huntress could now handle. Even if Yang could blow it away a few years ago, this thing had become a beast capable of rivaling any legend. Hell, Yang had no doubt it was a monster that could rival Ouroboros. And right now, it was such bullshit that it impeded her path."Just when I'd finally found you Ruby, your fucking pet monster gets in my way. This is so unfair! Why...?" Yang's previous demeanor had given way to a round of tears. She knew she couldn't win. She could see it in the depths of Dinah's soulless eyes, that this was no mere Grimm. It was an existence that it was no understatement to say was the epitome of the Darkness itself.

Before Ruby could respond, yet another shadow had dropped next to her. Taking in the appearance, it was Gryph. The largest among her Griffons, and the fastest to boot. Whatever had happened, someone had anticipated something happening to Ruby. Regardless, she was thankful for the chance. Hopping onto Gryph, Ruby directed the large Griffon to the town.

"Dinah, do not harm Yang! Return home now!"

With only a vicious, throaty growl in response, Dinah seemingly acquiesced and began to back off from Yang. Taking flight, Ruby's last sight was of Yang's face, tears streaming down all over. It broke her heart, but she knew it was for the best.

"Gryph, stop at the town a mile north of here. Stay in the forest. I have to get my stuff."

After all was said and done, Ruby had packed her things up and left in a hurry. After having thrown on her mask and her crimson cloak, Ruby'd gotten onto the Griffon's back and flew off, the thoughts of the people below far from her mind. It was time for her to head back to her friends, and her home. But, even if just a little Ruby felt a slight pang. Looking back, she took in the sights of her old home once more before finally turning away, towards her future.

* * *

And away from the past.

* * *

***A/N***

**Uhm, hi there? **

**Yeah, I know. It's strange to see me again so soon. Somehow, I can write right now, and it's keeping me happy and busy (when work is keeping me pissed and busy). This is kind of a nice stress reliever for me (alongside Destiny, The Division, Dark Souls... okay, let's just say my PS4 is all that's keeping me sane and not a lunatic), oh and with help from my best friend in the world. We all know what it is, so don't go asking. If you really need to know, read all of my other A/N's and look for the one most common word among them all. Hint, it starts with an 'M'.**

**Anyhow, I'm trying to advance this story, but people are giving me a mix here. I'm sticking faithfully to what I want to write, but when I get equal parts hate and fan mail, it kinda kills my mood. Please people, keep the hate down a bit. I realize this fic may not be what some of you are used to, especially with me liberally fucking with the characters to my own delight and causing more "WTF's?!" than Pyrrha's death (something that anyone who knows me knows that I honestly took some small pleasure in that scene), and taking characterization to the extreme to the point that many of you accuse me of going way OOC. Meh.**

**Anyhow, that's my rant. See ya next time (whenever that is).**

**Dravyn out!**


	11. Cold as Ice Part 1

If there are any benefits to riding the back of a Griffon over using the airlines, then they would be less travel time and better seating. Then again, with her present state of mind Ruby didn't really care too much about having a somewhat soft feathery back underneath her over a crappy seat.

She had assumed going home for a bit would put her nostalgia at ease. She figured returning for a day at the worst would make her feel a little better about having left behind everyone she'd ever loved. What was the end result? She felt even worse. That was twice now, twice. Twice that Yang, her beloved older sister, had offered her hand to Ruby to help pull her from this darkness she walked. Twice now she had smacked that hand away and denied that kindness. Twice now she's had to watch her sister's heartbroken expression as she left her behind. It was twice too many times.

No music from her Scroll. No talking out loud to pass some time. Nothing but complete silence from Ruby. The flight back to Gévaudan took her only about half the time of her flight from Vale to Patch, and yet felt so much longer. If you ask her what happened when she got back, Ruby would honestly tell you she didn't know. For her, the time between her landing and her getting into her bed to sleep seems to have blurred together, everything passing back so quickly that she didn't seem to have any chance to register it at all. A good rest. Yes, that was what she needed. Hopefully she could get it.

* * *

"Holy..."

"Jaune?"

Right as Jaune was about to leave his meeting with Ozpin, Qrow, and Glynda an alert informed him that he had a message. Opening it up, he found it was from a certain blonde bruiser.

"Professor, change of plans. I just received a message from Yang. She saw Ruby not more than an hour ago." Saying this caused Ozpin's eyes to widen ever so slightly. "Yang apparently fought her, but a large Beowolf stopped her, and a Griffon carried Ruby away."

"A large Beowolf you say?" This got Qrow's attention. "I'd heard there was a Beowolf that was often seen with the Red Queen. According to the reports, the Beowolf stands as tall as a Goliath, and is covered head to toe in full Grimm plate. The estimated threat rating for the creature is between SS~ to SSS. It's said to be the first Grimm in a long time that could rival Ouroboros, in both strength and size. The Hunter's Association is considering putting together a large scale operation just to take the thing's head."

"Yeah, and I had the misfortune of seeing it five and a half years ago." Jaune said, a little bit of annoyance and a bit of worry tinged his voice. "Yang managed to blow it away only because she was durable enough to withstand it's attacks. Her Semblance really is unfair. But anyhow, even then it was a massive thing. If it's the same Beowolf as before, then it's growth leaves us with a major issue. How could a Beowolf practically double in size in the span of only five and some change years?"

"I'm not sure Jaune, but this may have to do with the Variants that have been appearing lately." Now it was Ozpin's turn to speak his worries out. "The new Variants that are appearing may be linked to this Beowolf's explosive growth. If this is the case, then it seems the Red Queen may have found something to strengthen the creatures of Grimm. If this is indeed true, then this is very dark news indeed."

"Yeah. Professor, I've told Yang to come to Vale so we can talk."

"That seems like a good idea. We must hurry and dethrone the Red Queen. With the imbalance of power coming from so many good huntresses and huntsmen dying, we are on the verge of losing to the Grimm. We need her now more than ever."

"I suppose Ruby's talent is prodigious in a sense Professor. But speaking realistically, one huntress alone won't make that big of a difference."

"You're just not very aware of Ruby's special nature. You see Jaune, Ruby is-"

"Oz, that's enough! This kid doesn't need to know about something that even Ruby herself isn't aware of. Yeah, it's true that having Ruby back on our side would be a huge cause for celebration, but this kind of thing should be explained to her, and by her. It's not our place to openly say this kind of stuff."

"But Qrow, might I remind you that this is yet another legend that exists in Remnant." Ozpin stared at Qrow as he gave his reasoning, not flinching or blinking as he laid his mind out. "It does not truly matter if we speak about this with Jaune here, or anyone else. In the end, it could be considered publicly available knowledge."

"But even Ruby herself doesn't know yet. It just isn't right." Qrow tried to reiterate his argument, being on the losing side to Ozpin's logically sound rebuttal.

"Mister Branwen, I won't tell you I have a right to know what Professor Ozpin is talking about. I'm not that big headed, nor am I that important. But I will remind you that I'm one of the few people on the face of Remnant who knows that Ruby Rose is still alive, is the true identity of The Red Queen of Grimm, and is currently lowering the Hunter population of every known civilization at an alarming rate compared to most Grimm. So I won't say I have a right to know, nor would I say I need to know either. But I would say that I believe I have earned some measure of trust by working with you guys these past years to try and find Ruby."

Qrow could only look down at his flask on the table, his mind processing what Ozpin and Jaune had just told him. They were right, the both of them. No matter how much Qrow wanted to avoid telling Jaune, he also knew that the kid wouldn't understand why he and Ozpin were frantic about getting Ruby back without a proper explanation. Though Jaune had his own motives that were based in friendship and care, the fervor Ozpin and Qrow had went beyond Jaune's. Heaving a sigh, Qrow relented.

"Fine. But we will be waiting for my niece to get here first. If this is something you should know, then it is something that Yang deserves to know."

"Thank you, Mister Branwen."

"Let me ask you something first kid. About Ruby, what would you say is her most defining trait? Something you can see about her that sets her apart from every other girl you've probably ever seen."

"Something that sets her apart?" This was something Jaune had to give some thought to. A lot of things about Ruby had come to mind for him. Her cheerful disposition, (well... at least it was cheerful prior to becoming the Red Queen. Now? He didn't really know.) her tendency to geek out over new weapons, her slightly Gothic appearance that almost made him misunderstand her when they first met. But if he had to say, it would likely be...

"Her eyes, right?" Qrow answered for him.

"Yeah, I suppose. How did you-?"

"How many people do you see with eyes as pure a silver as hers? It's a rare trait, and there is a history to it. But like I said, we'll wait for my niece to arrive before I explain any more."

"Alright, fair enough Mister Branwen." Jaune was now thinking more than he ever had, what Qrow had said to him setting his thoughts alight. Silver eyes, huh? What meaning could they hold. "Yang should be here tomorrow. We can resume this conversation then."

"Agreed. Qrow, Jaune, I shall see the two of you again when Yang gets here."

"Alright."

At this, Qrow and Jaune began to leave when Ozpin called out to Qrow.

"Qrow." Qrow turned around after hearing his name called. "You forgot your flask."

"Heh. So I did." Qrow didn't make any attempt to go back and get his flask. He simply kept walking out, and as the elevator closed on him and Jaune, Ozpin could swear he saw a lack of Qrow's usual drunken demeanor on his visage.

* * *

Ruby opened her eyes to darkness. Looking towards the window confirmed that it had indeed transitioned into night. She must have been more tired than she'd originally thought. Perhaps the day had taken more out of her than she had realized. Longing for the past. This feeling left Ruby feeling as though she were still too soft. She was the Red Queen. Her goal was to take this world, to make it her own. Remove those who have power and leave everyone powerless to ever do to another what was done to her. And yet this level still affected her so heavily.

Sighing, Ruby got up and out of bed. Maybe a walk would help clear her mind. She'd always loved the Moon. So to not make any noise, Ruby left her feet bare and just went out in jeans she was wearing before as well as a tank top. Nights here were cool, a light breeze often helping Ruby cool her head when she thought stuff over too much. Regardless, she would often be outside on such a nice night.

Ruby carefully crept through the orphanage, making no noise as she made her way to the door. She silently slipped through the barely opened door, gave a slight prayer of thanks for her small frame, and walked into the night. With no more need to keep it down, Ruby began to walk in earnest towards the town's limits, stopping along the forest near a route she often used. The route in question was a small animal trail that led to a night secluded grove she frequented, one where wild roses grew as far she could tell. It was her favorite spot by far.

For about ten or so minutes Ruby walked in silence feeling the soft earth beneath her feet as she moved along. There was something oddly comfortable about the feeling of dirt as it moved beneath her every step, going between and around her toes. It was in this state of comfort and silence that Ruby walked, the moonlight and the night washing away the worries. As she neared the clearing, a noise caught her attention. She wasn't exactly sure what it was, but it was definitely coming from her secret rose garden. This annoyed her.

Ruby now picked up the pace, getting closer and closer until she was at the tree line. As quietly as she could, Ruby positioned a tree between herself and the clearing, peering around slightly to try and get a view of what was there. And what did she find?

"So pretty!"

It was Yel. Sitting on the stump of what used to be an Oak, something Ruby would know quite well as she was the one who'd removed the tree so as to make a nice seat, Yel was intently staring at the moon, her face alight with wonder as all children are. Chuckling slightly to herself for worrying, Ruby entered the clearing with a large smile across her face.

"Yel! What are you doing out of bed? Don't you know how late it is?"

"Wah! I-I was just watching the stars. Please Wuwby, don't make me leave yet!" By the time Ruby had reached Yel, the little faunus girl had run up and began hugging Ruby's leg, her large round eyes looking pleadingly at Ruby. It was at this point in time that Ruby had realized she'd pulled the same thing so many times before that this could only be called karma. Her willpower almost non-existent in the face of such cuteness, Ruby could only relent.

"Fine Yel, but only for a little bit. Okay?"

"Yay!"

"How'd you find this place anyhow Yel?"

"I followed you Wuwby. I saw you go towards a trail and went along until I found this garden. The roses were so pretty! I come here a lot. A whole lot!"

Ruby could really only sigh at this. This more or less could be seen as being her fault for not noticing Yel was following her. Well, it's not like this was an entirely bad thing. It was nice to have company once in a while, and Yel was possibly one of the best people Ruby could have around.

"Okay Yel. Here, I'll sit with you. We can watch the stars together." Ruby said with a smile, the sort of natural one that creeps onto one's face when they look at something so precious.

"Yay! Stars with Wuwby!" After letting Ruby sit down first, Yel happily scrambled up onto Ruby's lap and sat down contentedly. This situation, Ruby mused, was similar to having a stuffed animal or a small dog. Well, when you consider Yel's faunus heritage, that second one would be rather accurate... Without really thinking about it, Ruby hugged Yel from behind and kept the little faunus girl close. Her presence was calming for Ruby, and right now it was helping to get her mind back on track. "So Wuwby, why are you here anyways?"

"Well I'm not really sure how to answer that, Yel. I sort of... went home to see my family. Me and my big sister had a little fight, and I left her crying." Yeah, that more or less abridges the whole ordeal. Well, it at least omits the slightly darker aspects of that story that Ruby would rather not let Yel, or any of the other children for that matter, hear about. "Now I, well... I don't really know what now to be honest."

"Wuwby is sad." Yel said with some bit of finality in her tone. Before Ruby could refute her, a thought occurred to her. Yel was absolutely right. "Wuwby regrets being mean to her sister. Right now you are sad."

"Huh, I just might be. You're right Yel. Maybe I am sad. For the second time in my life, I've coldly left my sister behind. I thought I'd forgotten about all of that, but I suppose even I'll still be sad over this kind of thing." Heh, it was kind of funny. A little girl, barely seven years old, was teaching Ruby a life lesson here. Seems these kinds of things can come from anywhere. "You're so smart Yel."

"Uh huh. I'm smart!" Yel said with a little pride in her voice, and her little tail wagging back and forth happily. Ruby thought it was adorable.

"Yup, you're the smartest." Saying so, Ruby began to pet Yel's head. It was an action that Yel herself enjoyed greatly, and the tail wagging increasing only served to prove the point. "Let's go back to watching the stars. After this, it's bed time. Got it Yel?"

"Yep!"

* * *

That night, for the first time in a while, Ruby's dreams were peaceful. And waking up too kept that same feeling of serenity. What Yel had said the previous night was absolutely true, and once Ruby had come to terms with it she'd realized that dwelling on it wouldn't do her any good. She would accept it, and try to move on as best as she could. So she got up, took a shower, and went down to breakfast like normal. The previous day's lethargy all but forgotten.

"Good morning Ruby. I take it you slept well?"

The first person she saw that morning was Erif, setting the table for when the kids came for breakfast. Despite being old enough to leave the orphanage and live on his own, he still stayed around to help out and raise the new kids who came through. It was pretty admirable of him.

"Mind giving me a hand here? I could use the help while setting the table for thirty kids."

"Sure. Gimme a sec." Her hair was still down, and Ruby didn't want it getting in the way. Digging in her pocket, she brought out a small band. After making a quick ponytail and securing it, Ruby started setting the table along with Erif. "So, what's for breakfast this morning?"

"French toast and scrambled eggs."

"Oh, nice. Who's cooking this morning?"

"Martha. Elena's giving her a hand too."

"Yes! Her eggs are the absolute best! I still can't figure out how she gets them so fluffy." Ruby honestly liked it when Martha was cooking. Who was Martha? One of the older members who took care of the orphanage. She'd been there since before Ruby ever even met them all. And no matter what, her cooking was still amazing.

"Yeah. Fifteen years here, and still haven't managed to get the secret from her."

"That kind of skill can only be given to one who is deserving. Sadly, you are not the one."

"Says the girl who burnt noodles-" Ruby was about to try and respond when Erif continued. "-while they were boiling. You burnt them to a crisp, while they were _in water_."

". . ." Ruby honestly couldn't really respond to that statement. It was too true for her to refute. How and when did this happen? Well, that's a story for another time really. "I can at least make good chocolate chip cookies."

"I won't deny you're good at baking. But children can't survive on just chocolate chip cookies and cake."

"I did."

"And it put so much sugar in your system that you're still moving faster than the Roadrunner on caffeine and crack, even at the age of twenty."

". . ." Again, he kind of had a point.

"Though I suppose having the sugar is good for kids their age, in moderation."

"What are you, their mother?"

"Are you going to be the father then?"

"Let's see... I'm the fun one, I play with them the most, and I pretty much do a good job at bringing home the bacon. Sadly, I'm too pretty." Ruby said that last bit with a bit of sarcasm.

"The first three, you have a point on. The last? I dunno. I've seen prettier cross-dressers."

"Figures you'd be staring at them."

All of the smack talk aside, Ruby and Erif still got along very well. Especially since Ruby was the one who more or less saved his life five and a half years prior. And by save, she pretty much massacred a bunch of morons who thought the town would be an easy mark to raid and pillage. Now on any other day, they probably would have won. On that day? Bad luck to have run into a girl who at the time was fifteen, pissed off with the world, and had a bunch of big ass Grimm following her around and heeding her commands. They may not have been entirely aware of the circumstances when they woke up that morning and decided to attack innocent people, but Karma is a cold mistress who comes in many forms. That day, she took the form of a massive Beowolf and a tiny Grimm reaper.

"And finished. Go and wake up Sang, will you? Every time I try, I find a bullet hole a couple of inches from my face. I'm not looking forwards to the day that she misses that spot."

"You big baby. Man up."

"If she hits me, I'm sure I'll be a man down."

While groaning at the lame pun Ruby made her way up to Sang's room, which as it happens was conveniently located right next to hers, and knocked a few times.

"Sang! Are you awake yet? It's time for break-" Before Ruby could finish her thought, a movement on Sang's bed caught her attention. Reacting to a feeling of danger, she tilted her head a few inches to the left, and was rewarded with the sound of a bullet passing right by where her head had been just a second prior. "Maybe it was a good idea to get her myself today... Sang! Come on, get up!" Not really disturbed by the projectile that had just barely missed her head mere seconds ago, Ruby boldly strode towards Sang's bed. "Come on Sang, get up! The sun is shining and we got work to do."

* * *

"Uhm, Ms. Schnee?"

Hearing someone at the door caused Weiss' head to snap up and away from her work. Taking a look, it seemed to be her secretary.

"What is it Ellia?"

"You asked me to bring you any news that was found regarding The Red Queen of Grimm. I came to report." Saying so, her secretary brought out a manilla envelope and placed it onto Weiss' desk. Picking the envelope up and opening it, Weiss found an article inside. "The report indicates that a number of people of the small island of Patch reported a red clad person seen flying above the island riding a Griffon. Three photo's were acquired from the citizens, and were included in the report."

"Ah, thanks. You may go now, Ellia." With a small nod, Ellia left Weiss to her devices. Initially, Weiss found nothing of note in the report. But the longer she looked at it, the more a thought kept nagging at her. "Why would she be at the island of Patch? There's no major Grimm reported to be there, nothing of any immediate value to her. Unless..."

A thought, a memory rather came to Weiss. Reaching across her desk, she picked up her Scroll and dialed up a person as quickly as she could. After a few rings, she got an answer.

"Hello Weiss. How are you?"

"I'm fine Winter, thank you for asking. Winter, can you dome a favor? Use your connections in the Atlas military to look up a girl named 'Ruby Rose'. Specifically the whereabouts of her family."

"Why do you need to know Weiss?"

"She's... an old friend."

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Hey there. Sorry for the lack of updates in a long time. Right now I'm planning five to ten chapters ahead with no idea to put into the next one through four. ADHD, indecisiveness, and this horrible game called Real Life (great graphics though) are making progress a hard thing to come by. Regardless, I did my best, downed enough caffeine to probably kill more than half of you, and pushed through to finish this chapter in a somewhat timely fashion.**

**So in this chapter Ruby was feeling under the weather. Again, she's still human. As for Yel encouraging her, I just thought that small dog eared girl would provide for an adorable way to snap somebody out of a funk. Blame my own Golden Retriever and childhod for the inspiration. **

**Now yeah guys, I know what you're thinking. "Another asshole using the Silver Eyes? Aww, not again!" Rest assured, even though I'm gonna slip the Silver Eyes thing in here, I'm not really gonna give a power boost to Ruby right now. It's more or less going to serve as the good guy's (Qrow and Ozpin's) motive, aside from just caring for Ruby, to get her back. Without more knowledge on her eyes, the lore/reasoning behind the power, or any information regarding her heritage in it's entirety, I have no plans to add them in as a new ability. That said, if at a later date more info is given on them, I probably will add something. For now, it's just a side thing to also give a little more motive to the good guys.**

**Anyhow, you all know the deal. Comments, criticisms, concern, and suggestions. Please keep them in the comments section and far away from my inbox. You have NO idea how many messages I had to go through once I got a chance to read them. Half of the reason my updates were delayed another day were the 58 messages I had to go through. 58! And pretty much most of them were asking me when I would be writing the next chapter. Patience people, please!**

**Anyhow, all ranting aside, Dravyn out!**


	12. Cold as Ice Part 2

A dream. Or maybe it wasn't? Some days she couldn't really tell. The world went on and kept hounding her constantly, her battle with her day to day life wearing her down, her memories and thoughts sometimes dragging her into an abyss she just wanted to remain a part of. But no, she would wake up every day and deal with it all over again. Sometimes she'd forget. Other times, she could curse the situation, the fate, that led her here. She would regret what she'd chosen and she would wish to undo it. And then she would redirect those feelings to hatred, hatred of the other party that she would blame for this misfortune.

But on this day, all she did was simply dream. It was by no means real, mind you, but it was definitely not unrealistic. That may have been the cause of her inability to sometimes differentiate between reality and the dream. A longing, an urge. A desire for times past mixing with her subconscious mind's desire for a more peaceful time, a less stressful time.

She would of course never think about this. She would simply sleep and wake up. And today was no different. Like every other day, she simply dreamt. But today, it wasn't just a fantasy. She simply returned to the past, to the halcyon day's she'd long since bid farewell to. It was at these times that she'd realized what she'd done wrong, what she could have done instead, and then let the dream take to a better future. And then she wakes up and forget's it, the longing only returning. It's at times like these that she'd sometimes wish she'd not even wake up, regardless of whatever people or things keep her coming back to this horrid waking reality that we all call life. Sometimes, her waking would be peaceful.

And other times, it would come from the sound of a Scroll ringing.

To be precise, it would be the third preset alert tone in her Scroll. After a short time spent contemplating just letting her Scroll go off, she finally answered it.

"What do you want?"

"Is that any way to greet your sister?"

"Winter?" Sitting up in her bed, Weiss Schnee slowly rubbed the sleep out of her eyes, her mind a bit foggy from having just awoken. After taking a second to collect herself, Weiss returned to her conversation. "My apologies Winter. I've just woken up, as you can see."

"It's alright Weiss. Neither of us are very good in the mornings, and I'm well aware of that. Anyhow, the reason I called you was to let you know that I've sent you a file on the information you asked me for the other day."

"Uhh... remind me again what I asked for?"

"For the love of Oum, Weiss," Winter said, heaving a sigh as though to emphasize her point. "I suppose I can understand as it is kind of early. Anyhow, the information you requested on Ruby Rose. As she was native to Vale, the information I could find on her was somewhat limited. Regardless, I got you some general information on her, including her family as well as profiles on them. I've included current whereabouts for them as well."

"Thanks Winter."

"Weiss, what exactly did you need this information for anyhow? I know you said she was an old friend, but it's kind of odd to be visiting the family of a girl you were partnered with for a short while during your stay at Beacon."

"I assure you, I only wanted to make sure they're doing alright. After all, her sister was also another one of my teammates."

"Right. Anyhow, we'll talk later. Get a little more rest Weiss, I can see bags under your eyes."

"Quiet you."

"Heheh," Winter gave a slight chuckle as she teased her little sister. "See you later Weiss. I love you."

"I love you too Winter. Good bye." Saying so, Weiss clicked off her communications and her Scroll went silent. Giving it a minute to process, Weiss was deciding whether or not she wanted to check out that information now, or get a little more rest. After having thought on it a bit more, the answer was clear as to which was more important. She threw the Scroll back on her night stand, a sound accompanied only by one of a head falling against a pillow.

It could wait for the morning.

* * *

"Geez Sang, did you really have to put a hole in the wall? We already have enough stuff around here to fix as it is!" Ruby was currently berating her friend during breakfast, said friend who was nonchalantly eating her eggs with a face that seemed like she was just barely giving Ruby any attention. What caused this? Let's go back by about roughly a half an hour or so.

* * *

"Sang! Come on, get up! Come on Sang, get up! The sun is shining and we got work to do." Ruby boldly strode towards Sang's bed, the bullet that had missed her face by mere millimeters having fallen from her mind. Sang was bad with mornings, something Ruby herself had to admit was true of herself to a degree. But that was only for the weekends, not for today. Grabbing her covers, Ruby yanked them from Sang's bed. "Sang, you're letting the eggs get cold!"

At this point Ruby was unaware that Sang had gotten to sleep a bit late the past night. Had she known, then the next part wouldn't have come as such a shock.

It was then that Sang reached across her nightstand, grabbed the rather solid paperweight she had there, a paperweight that was designed after some character to an anime that Ruby for the life of her could not remember the name to, and chucked it at Ruby's head as hard as one physically could from that position. Had Ruby not been someone who was pretty much the closest thing to a literal speed demon on the face of Remnant, she might have gotten a concussion. Or perhaps worse, judging by the fact that Ruby could hear the weight go through the wall, and based off of the sounds she heard the wall behind that, and a window behind that wall. Even with an Aura, that would've sucked to take to the face.

"Alright, now I'm pissed Sang. We just had that wall fixed!" After raising her voice in anger, Ruby exited the room. Sang, who seemed to just be trying to nod off again, perked up when her ears heard a distinct *ka-chink* sound. Raising her head slightly, she saw a royally pissed looking Ruby Rose standing in her doorway, Crescent Rose raised and aimed straight at her head. "You have precisely five seconds for your feet to meet the ground before I remove you from there with the help of my sweetheart."

Needles to say, five seconds were more than enough.

* * *

"Seriously Sang, we have to repair two walls, and a window now! That's money we don't immediately have!" In response, Sang simply kept eating. After heaving a sigh, Ruby pretty much gave up on it. "Damnit. Whatever, I'll just choose a new hunt later to make up the amount. There's gotta be some hell somewhere on the face of Remnant that needs cleaning."

"Seriously Ruby, don't worry too much about it. The Variant from the other day that you and the others managed to kill gave us a decent amount. Even after fixing the damage subsections in the older sections of the orphanage, we'd still have enough left over for a few repairs."

"I know Erif, but I'd rather we still have some money on hand. It's not good enough to only be able to get the money when we need it. We need to have it on hand for the times when we can't." Ruby was honestly exasperated. Money, money, money. The world ran on Lien, and it was only when she found out this cold, hard truth that she began to regret growing up and accepting the life of a responsible adult. "I'll think of something later I guess. For now though, I'll see about any other minor bounties I can take."

"You never quit, do you?" Heaving a small sigh, Erif gave up and went back to his breakfast.

Without really waiting much longer, Ruby logged on to her Scroll and headed to the HA's main site on the web. She was, of course, looking for any major bounties that were currently posted. As per usual, she was greeted by a picture unlike the others. It showed a person, their face shadowed by a red hood adorned with a white and red crown. It was of course her own bounty, the bounty on the Red Queen herself. The number on the screen alone sometimes made Ruby question whether or not it was possible to clone and kill herself just to collect. The amount? It was currently sitting at L10,000,000.00, a number that seemed overwhelming by anyone's count. Despite her danger rating being less than Ouroboros, her bounty was pretty much twice it's.

It stands to reason, though, if one thought about it. While Ouroboros was the single most overwhelming Grimm to have ever existed, it had brute strength, and brute strength alone. Ruby- no, The Red Queen, on the other hand was not only a dangerous being in her own right, but she was also accompanied by several Grimm of danger classifications ranging from lower A rating to upper S ratings. Factoring in Dinah, who the HA had recently upgraded to a SSS~ rated threat, Ruby pretty much had a veritable army following her.

As a side note, the name they'd given Dinah on the HA's site was 'The Pure White Beowolf Dinah', or simply shortened to 'Dinah, The White Wolf'. How'd they know Dinah's name? Apparently some survivor or another must have mentioned it at some point. When had Ruby left survivors? Well, even she wasn't sure. That was perhaps a story for another time. But she knew she'd have to remedy that bad habit soon enough. These hunters that came after her had to be shown, had to be taught, had to be made to realize the gravity of the situation, and the true horror of the being they were picking a fight with. A few half-broken toys won't stop a child from playing. No. To stop the child from playing, you simply must _destroy_ the toys. Leave nothing for them to play with. The analogy fits here. If Ruby kept sending back half broken hunter's, the HA would keep fixing them and sending them back. If she broke them all, they'd have none left to face her with. Which was fine, as it was in line with her own goals.

Letting these thoughts slip from her mind, Ruby went back to perusing through the current bounties, searching for even one that would be worth the time and effort to find. She spent the better part of an hour looking around before deciding it was too much of a bore and clicked off her Scroll. She could always search later. Without much to currently do, Ruby decided to go to the main T.V and see what was on. After all, spending some time with the kids and her friends was a nice way to pass the day. There would always be fools who challenge her tomorrow, and there would always be new heads rolling at her feet. So why not take such a pleasant day and spend it peacefully? After all, there really wasn't much that could happen that could ruin the day.

Right?

* * *

It takes a lot to make a morning bearable. For Weiss that included a shower, brushing her teeth, ten minutes of staring blankly at herself in a mirror before realizing what she was doing, a pot of coffee, and another thirty or so minutes to acclimate. All in all, a rather busy morning for her. Once all was said and done and she'd woken up completely, Weiss grabbed her things and went to her office.

After the usual morning routine of greeting the doorman, stopping by the company break room for another cup of coffee, and giving a "Good morning" to her secretary, Weiss sat down, locked her office door, and brought out her Scroll. Before she began, she placed her finger on the intercom that led directly to her assistant.

"Ellia?"

'_Yes Ms. Schnee?_' Came the voice from the intercom.

"Please let anyone who calls looking for me know that I'll be in a meeting for a while."

'_Of course, Ms. Schnee.'_ The reply was quick and succinct.

"Alright then." Taking her Scroll and connecting it to her Desktop, Weiss pulled up the contents on the rather large screen in front of her and began to search through the contents. It was the basics on her -Ruby's, of course- information. The kind that she'd requested. Full name, place of birth, registered residence, among other information. And among the data, Weiss saw a single line that made a slight tremor go through her heart.

_Deceased: XX Day/ XX Month/ XXXX Year. MIA during routine hunt. Search called off in XX Month of XXXX Year. _

_Of course this date would be here_, thought Weiss. The day she and some others unceremoniously stabbed Ruby in the back, in both the literal and metaphorical sense. Of all of the thing's she's done in her life, this was probably one of the bigger regrets she's had. But that was nothing now. Compared to the weight of trying to take Ruby's life, the feeling of having to stop the Red Queen overrode that. It was not an exaggeration to say that the Red Queen is the most feared, most dangerous being on the face of Remnant at the moment. And Weiss was personally responsible, having dirtied her hands in the creation and birth of such a being. She brought this about, and she knew it.

Putting such thoughts behind her, Weiss started to sift through all of the information in earnest. Among the lines of data, Weiss had found what she'd wanted to confirm and then some.

_Place of birth: The island of Patch. _

_Yang Xiao Long: Current residence is XXXX Aura Dr. Wilt, Patch. _

"I knew it." Weiss had only speculated before, but now she was sure of it. The sighting of the Red Queen of Grimm on the island of Patch wasn't just false information or a mistaken glance. It had to be real. If nothing, then it had to be because of the fact that Yang and her father still lived on that island. Despite her running away, Ruby still cared for them. The Queen still cared for her family. If she cared enough to take such a huge risk and make her presence so obvious, then it stands to reason that they must be of importance to her.

When this revelation had first hit her at the time in which she'd heard about the sighting, Weiss' mind had already begun to work. Gears began to turn in her head, plans began to form. And the designs she worked up, the machinations that came to her mind only truly now began in earnest to flesh themselves out properly. Gingerly, Weiss reached over the the terminal on her desk. In her mind, only one thought would repeat.

_Will Oum forgive me for what I'm about to do?_

Regardless of her answer, Weiss still picked it up. Her intended recipient answered on the first Ring.

"Hello Weiss. Calling again so soon?"

"Yes Winter. My apologies for bothering you, but there's something I would like to talk to you about."

* * *

For Jaune, the days were beginning to become more chaotic. What with him finally finding Ruby again, and Yang coming to add her own help to their effort to find her, he felt things were moving towards a good Chaos though. He had hope now. Hope that they could find Ruby. Hope that they could bring her back. There were so many things he wanted to tell her, and he was eager to say them all. Most importantly, he wanted to say two simple words. Thank you. A thank you for helping him grow. A thank you for picking him up. And a thank you for being a friend. Five years. Five years and then some. For all of that time those words have remained in his heart, struggling to finally be let free. But he kept them in, awaiting eagerly for the day that he would be able to tell Ruby those two words. And even though it was still quite a fight, he was close to being able to say them properly.

Putting all of those thoughts behind him, Jaune focused on the flight board in front of him. Yang's flight was scheduled to touch down soon. He was there to pick her up from the airport, guide her to her hotel, and then go with her to Beacon that day. Today he was hear more from Qrow and Ozpin about the story regarding Ruby and why they viewed her as being too important to lose. Well, he knew the base underlying reasons, as he likely shared them with the two. But what had him curious was what they'd told him in regards to her eyes. But that would be explained today.

As she wasn't scheduled to be in for another half hour or so, Jaune decided to settle down at a nearby juice vendor and got himself a strawberry banana smoothie. Inwardly cursing himself for falling prey to the ungodly price of terminal food, Jaune sipped his drink and searched around the HA's main site for any news or stories of interest. Of course like always, he took a few minutes to move over to the Current Bounties page and look at the image displayed prominently before all others. A face obscured by a red hood and shadows with a faint smile upon the pale lips. Upon the crown of the hood sat a small crown. Well, it was more appropriate to say it resembled the sort of tiara one would see at a horrible child's beauty pageant, but Jaune wasn't one to nitpick. If anything, he couldn't blame them for not being able to accurately depict her face anyhow. Especially seeing as how he'd had more experience than any of these concept artists with the subject in question.

After staring at the profile, and the bounty, for quite a while, Jaune heard the announcement regarding the arrival of her flight. Making his way to where the passengers would be coming off of the aircraft, he looked for the familiar wild blonde hair among the crowds. And to nobody's surprise. she stood out. Motioning for her to come over, Jaune also began to make his way towards Yang.

"Hey Yang."

"Heya Jaune. How have things been?"

"Eh, the usual. Putting most of my time into searching for you know who. Of course I have Mr. Branwen and Professor Ozpin's help. Anyhow, let's just say that at least we've had progress." Jaune gave a small smirk at those words, knowing that even having finally gained a few steps forward, he'd been thrust back just as far.

"Yeah, that is good news. Anyhow, you ready to go? I want to meet with Uncle Qrow and the Professor as soon as possible."

"Yeah. Let's get going Yang." Saying so, Jaune helped Yang get her luggage, and after slinging one of her bags over his shoulder started towards the exit. As the two had been making small talk, they'd failed to notice some men in uniform making their way towards them until they were stopped in their tracks.

"Halt."

"Huh?" Of course at this random order to halt both Yang and Jaune were left confused. Thankfully it was Jaune who spoke up first, and not the fiery tempered Yang. "Excuse me sir, but what seems to be the problem?"

The man in question who'd issued the command to halt wore the distinct armor of the Atlesian military. Due to some reasons that were political in nature, among other various reasons, Atlas had stationed a large sum of their troops in Vale. The current situation was called a 'strength and teamwork building joint exercise' between Atlas and Vale. The real reason? Nobody was entirely sure, but there was no shortage of assumptions and rumors.

Needless to say, the men before them were a mixed group of those wearing the armor of Atlas' military, and Vale's.

"You are Jaune Arc and Yang Xiao Long, correct?"

"That's right. What seems to be the problem sir?" Jaune repeated his previous question, this time allowing a slight tone of annoyance to accompany his words. He was in a rush. It was nothing terribly major, but he still didn't want to be hung up by a random search.

"The two of you are under arrest. Please cooperate and submit willingly."

"What the fuck?!" Almost instantly, Yang exploded behind Jaune. Almost literally too, as the increase in the surrounding temperature gave him a bad feeling, and he hastily tried to interject.

"On what charges sir?" Jaune asked, of course skepticism heavy in his tone. After all, he'd done nothing worthy of being arrested. At least, not in recent memory. The situation was suspicious. Pulling out a Scroll, the officer pulled up a file and began to read.

"On suspicion of acting in the name and will of the wanted criminal known as The Red Queen of Grimm. An anonymous tip has outed the two of you as being in league with the Red Queen of Grimm, and a warrant has been issued for your arrest. Please, come along quietly."

"What the-? Urk!" While Yang was trying to process what she'd just heard, a pair of irons were clapped around her hands from behind. In front of her, Jaune willingly held his hands up and allowed the men in uniform to do the same to him. It would not do to struggle or fight. He would bide his time and find out what was going on here. It was his only choice at this point. Their only choice.

"Now let's go!"

"What the heck is going on here?! I demand an answer!" Yang was enraged, and it seemed to Jaune that she was about to go ballistic. Of course, these being anti-Aura cuffs, it was not like she could. Still, Jaune felt it best to step in.

"Yang, calm down. Whatever this is about, we'll be fine. We're innocent and we know it. Let's just cooperate for now. We'll find out what's going on here soon enough."

* * *

Inside of her office, sitting calmly at her desk, Weiss sat with an anxious look. Every so often she would glance at the terminal, a call being expected at any moment. Just as she turned her attention back to her desktop, it rang. Swiftly, she picked it up.

"Weiss Schnee."

"Weiss, it's me. They're in custody right now."

"Thank you Winter. I'll take a flight and be over in Vale tomorrow." Ending the call there, Weiss started to make the arrangements. It was likely she would face damnation for her actions. But if it would bring down the Red Queen, then this was a fate she was willing to accept.

* * *

And on the other side of Remnant, sitting on a couch surrounded by a dozen kids eagerly watching the T.V, Ruby Rose was blissfully unaware of the current storm brewing. But it wouldn't be long.

After all, that's the way to Rose scatters.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Hey there. Sorry for the long period of inactivity. There are multiple reasons for this, but I won't bother you with them. Just accept a quick apology from me and this new chapter to go with it.**

**No real comments for now on the story. If anything confuses you, it'll likely be addressed in the next chapter. I plan to go in depth as to what's going on, what Weiss is planning, and where this is all going. Suffice to say, this arc will last a few chapters, and Ruby will start delving back into some of her old habits. Look forward to it. **

**Anyhow, you guys already know. Feedback where you can, and keep the hate to a minimum. And please, if it's a general question or comment, or possibly something you think someone else will say, please put it in as a comment and not a PM. Otherwise, I love you all and I wish you all a good night.**

**Dravyn out.**


	13. Cold as Ice Part 3

It's odd. You know that feeling? The one you get when your day goes from fairly pleasant to unbearably suffocating in the span of an instant? Yeah, that soul crushing sense that more or less makes you feel as though you're falling deeper and deeper into an inky black ocean? Yup. That's pretty much how Ruby was feeling. What happened? Let's go back about to around the beginning of the day.

* * *

This day had started much like any other. Ruby had woken up amidst dreams that left her tossing and turning. What were they about? Does it really matter? She couldn't even tell you if she'd wanted to anyhow. She always forgot them. All that lingered was a feeling of annoyance. Like the dream had made her think of something unpleasant. But much like they always do, the dream, and the accompanying feeling, would eventually fade into the background, and eventually disappear altogether.

Anyhow, moving on. Following her usual morning routine, Ruby ended up going for training. After about three and a half hours swinging away, she decided to go inside and wipe the sweat off. For about half an hour further, she simply stood under a running stream of warm water. When all was said and done, and she was squeaky clean and smelling like a bunch of roses, Ruby had dried herself off, dressed in her normal casual attire consisting of a red tank top and black jeans, and took a seat in front of her Scroll. Of course she was going to peruse the HA's main site yet again. It was pretty much a daily ritual at this point. Any bounties she could find would help out quite a bit.

And so she searched through them as always, one or two ones appearing in each section. Different Beowolves, Boarbatusks, Ursai, etc. Well, maybe not so many Beowolves or Ursai, as both were usually killed fairly young. Or rather, for whatever 'young' might mean for a Grimm. Should we apply age to them like we do with people, or do they grow in a different way? It's such an odd thing to consider. Well it's not like Ruby really contemplates this sort of stuff very often, so she couldn't really tell you. Nor did she really care to find out.

Anyhow, the day wore on like this as it always did. But Ruby didn't mind this daily routine. On the days it changed, that normally involved her having to go and kill something. While she did enjoy hunting, it's not like she always wanted to be doing it twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Maybe when she was still fifteen, wide eyed and gung ho and all. But now? As an adult who had responsibilities, people to take care of, and still had to go about other such business (of the Red Queen variety), it's not like she always wanted to spend her time going out. Maybe if more of those hunts were within a sensible distance and paid better, then yeah. She'd likely be all for it.

Anyhow, after going about her routine as usual, she finally settled down in front of the television set. Oh right. Have I mentioned that it's just past noon yet? That's right. Ruby's daily training usually proceeds before most of the orphanage is even awake yet. That's just how Ruby is. Even though she was no longer as hyperactive as she used to be, she was still quite energetic. Getting up earlier than the others allowed her to let off some of that energy rather early into the day, and spend the rest being a little bit lazy. Or about as lazy as circumstance would allow her. She deserves a break once in a while, you know?

After a while, the others started to crowd around her on the nice little couch they had in the common room. At first it was Erif and Yel. While he took the seat on her left side, Yel sat down directly in her lap. As the time went on, a few more people dropped by and joined in. A few of the kids bunched up around and on Ruby. Eventually Sang and Alec joined in, taking a seat near the edge as the children had already taken the ones closer to Ruby. And so the little group continued to watch their shows until it was switched to the news channel. Nobody was sure who changed it, though the likely culprit was Erif considering he was always watching the news when he got a chance. Regardless, when the channel was switched, it happened. Ruby saw a report that completely shook her to the core.

'_Hello there. I'm Lisa Lavender, and if you're just joining us then you're in for quick a shock. As we've been reporting all morning, two native Valites have been arrested on charges of being in league with the SS~ rated criminal known formally as The Red Queen of Grimm. The two suspects picked up the other day at the Vale Intercontinental Airport. The two suspects, Yang Xiao Long and Jaune Arc, were arrested by-'_

"Ouch. Wuwby, why did you stand up?"

"Erif, raise the volume." Ruby said in a voice that was just barely above a whisper.

"Huh?" He failed to hear her the first time. She didn't hesitate to restate her request.

"Raise the damn volume Erif!"

For a second, her increased volume threw him off. It didn't take lon for him to recover his wits and do as she requested, raising the volume quite a few notches.

'_As per an anonymous tip to the Vale and Atlas Terrorism Squad, or VATS task force, the two were picked up as Miss Xiao Long attempted to exit the airport. The men and women who apprehended the two were a mixed unit of Atlesian and Valite military personnel. The two were tried under charges of aiding and abiding a known criminal. After a short trial, the evidence presented had convinced the jury that there was no reason to doubt their guilt. The two were judged to be guilty, and were sentenced to the death penalty for assisting such a dangerous felon. The two are scheduled to be executed two days from now in the Vale Royal Coliseum. In a quote from the officer in charge of the unit that apprehended the two, this public execution is meant to serve as a warning to all who act with the intention of causing harm to the denizens of this world. The execution will be presided over by Colonel Winter Schnee of the-'_

Ruby was silent as the grave. She didn't speak, didn't make a single noise. In fact, by the stillness of her chest one could tell she wasn't even breathing. She felt like she was suffocating. It was the feeling of being crushed by something. Something... like despair? Yeah, that was it.

Not only had they taken away her life, but now they were planning on taking her sister and best friend. It was too much. They deserved their lives. They should be happy. They should be able to live a normal life. Not be subject to death by her actions. That was just plain unfair. It, it-

It was the same shit as before. This unreasonable world was trying to make her suffer again. Those with power finding scapegoats in those without. Those who could trying to bully the weak.

"Ruby, isn't that guy-?" But Alec could not finish his question. When he looked at Ruby, he no longer saw Ruby Rose, nor did he see the Red Queen of Grimm. Those eyes were empty. Completely soulless. The usual eyes that shone as bright as silver or as sharp as polished steel were a dulled, muted grey right now. No light was reflecting in those eyes, no semblance of consciousness aside from the now shallow breaths she was taking. It was as though something had just shocked her.

Sang was about to reach out and try and reassure Ruby, maybe reach out a friendly hand or something. It didn't matter though. Before she could grab a hold of Ruby, and reassure her in that odd way that only Sang could or would, she twitched. At first Sang was just taken aback by the sudden movement, but by this point Ruby began to move in earnest.

"Ruby!" Erif cried out trying to reach his friend. "Where are you going? What's wrong?"

Ruby only coldly looked back. The earlier dull eyes she'd shown were gone. Now her eyes shone with hellfire.

"I'm going to get everyone together, and I am going to slaughter them. All of them." The words came out as little more than a whisper, but you didn't need Alec's ears to hear them. Everyone present got the memo. The kids really weren't too aware of what she meant, but Erif, Alec, and Sang knew. They knew that the warpath for the Red Queen had begun, and that she would be presented on a rose red carpet. Though the red carpet would not be adorned with petals or vines, but rather a river of blood. With nary a further word, Ruby turned around and continued.

She was not aiming to find her other companions, but rather her servants. Those who stalked in the shadows and consumed those who walked in the light. She was getting her pets, her army. She was getting...

"Dinah!"

* * *

In two solitary cells separated by a meter of concrete and a small iron bar window, Jaune and Yang were sitting and contemplating their future. Just a while ago, they'd been told they were guilty of aiding the Red Queen. The trail itself had seemed like such a farce. It was less than a week since they'd been accused, and yet the trial had been finished just this morning. The bumbling fool assigned to be their attorney had barely given an effort to defend them. The evidence presented had all been vague testimonies and witnesses. And yet the trail was over before most had even realized it started. The verdict was handed down as being guilty. There was little, if any debate. They were convicted as though the choice had been decided since the beginning.

It was really no exaggeration to call the whole situation a farce.

As the two had been contemplating this thought, they could hear footsteps quickly approaching their cells. Looking to the entrance, the two could see a very pale young woman approaching, her hair bone white and set to a ponytail on the side. She walked with grace and composure as befitting her status of being an heiress to one of, if not the, largest Dust conglomerate in the entirety of Remnant.

"Weiss."

". . ."

Neither spoke with very much enthusiasm or glee as to the appearance of their newest visitor. Yes, it was Weiss Schnee, sister to the one who had them arrested, as well as one of the ones who attempted to and failed in the taking of Ruby's life. Needless to say, neither liked the sight of her.

"What do you want you self serving bitch?!" Yang did not attempt to hide the venom in her tone. For her, Weiss was someone who should by all rights be dead or in prison. After what Weiss had done to her precious little sister, Yang was almost beside herself with fury. If nothing else, it was an act of Oum that Yang was held back at the time. In fact, in retrospect it truly is a miracle that those four who survived that night are still alive. But that's besides the point.

"Half a decade, and yet you're still so unrefined. Hmmph, figures." Weiss' tone mixed her usual haughty demeanor with just a bit of sorrow. "You're looking well it seems though, Jaune."

". . ." She was met with only silence from his end.

"So I see neither of you are still big fans of mine, huh? Well, I won't apologize further. At least, not for _that_ incident. I'm here to apologize for something else." Saying so, she nodded to the guards men who'd accompanied her. With a short salute, they left and closed the door. In that dark, depressing place were only the three of them. "In two days, you are both to be executed. I'm sure you're aware, especially as you were there for your own sentencing."

"Stuff it where the sun don't shine you cold hearted-!"

"I didn't come here to listen to you!" Weiss snapped at Yang before she could finish her own sentence. "I came here to explain why this is necessary! If it wasn't for your screw-up of a sister, then I wouldn't have had to resort to this in the first place!" As she grew more heated, Weiss began to raise in volume and redirect the blame for their predicament to a different source. "She should have just stayed dead, but no! She had to return and seek revenge. Should she have quit, then we wouldn't be here, now would we? No. She had to become a monster. Something less than human, less than even the Grimm! At least _they_ don't even kill each other! But your sister, she has killed. Human, faunus, it doesn't matter! Bodies upon bodies have been found. Men and women with wives and husbands. Children. Mothers and father of their own. They had lives and families. And she cut them down!"

"So what? She's defending herself." Jaune countered, quiet and subdued. It was the first time since Weiss had shown up that he bothered to even speak. And in his voice, one could hear a quiet rage in the tone. "From what it sounds like, this situation has been against us from the start, huh?"

"That's right. She cares for you still. She cares for one of you at least. And I have to use that. It wasn't hard piecing together the data I'd collected on her actions with her families personal data to figure out that her sightings at the island of Patch were not just mere coincidences. No. She went there to see her family. It was obvious she still loves you, her _big sister_." Those last two words having been overemphasized in Weiss' attempt to mock Yang served their purpose, as even with her abilities locked by the restraints her eyes began to take on a reddish hue. "So yes, I told my sister about the two of you, and how you may be conspirators with the Red Queen of Grimm. After that, it was a simple matter of using a bit of the family influence to direct the ending of this situation to where I wished. Control the attorney, pay off the jury. It wasn't too difficult." Now Weiss began to speak with a sadder tone again, the heat in her words from before disappearing.

"So you're willing to let two people die on the off chance that we'll be saved by someone who doesn't give a shit any more?!" Yang was beside herself in rage by this point. It was no exaggeration to say that should she not have been restrained, she likely would have torn through Weiss, her guards, and anyone sent to stop her. It didn't matter what they threw at her. Pain would not slow her down, and rage alone is one hell of an anesthetic. But again, it didn't matter. Between her and Weiss were restraints, a wall, and the fact that she was armed with Dust and the knowledge of how to employ it.

"Yes. It was a difficult decision to make, but I knew that in the end she'd fall for it. You two fail to realize how important you are. She risked exposing herself just to go home. Regardless of your thoughts, I know this will lure her out. If it takes me sacrificing two lives to spare thousands, tens of thousands more, then can you blame me?" At this, a small sound caught her attention. Peeking over at Jaune, she could see him trembling. After a second, the sound grew louder, and distinguished itself as laughter. Not a loud, roaring laughter. But a chuckle. As though he'd managed to think of some joke in this situation. Perhaps he had.

"It's amazing. Just plain amazing." Jaune began, his words containing a mix of emotions and tones that were hard to peg. Some anger or sarcasm? Mockery? "I can't believe I used to be head over heels for you. I can't believe I used to find you beautiful or amazing. You're simply a cold hearted bitch." Jaune emphasized that last word enough to make even Weiss feel it. It was the first time in memory that she'd heard his use profanity like that. "It disgusts me that I ever felt a thing towards you. Go away, Ice Queen. Just shut up and leave." Finished saying his piece, Jaune turned from Weiss, collapsed into the small rack in his cell, faced the wall, and began to ignore her very existence.

"Fine." His words had an obvious effect on her. Her tone grew even more somber than before, and her voice had quieted to barely being audible. "I see it was a waste of my time to try and convince the two of you of the necessity of this. Have it your way." With no further words, Weiss turned from the two and knocked twice on the door. After a second, the door was opened, and she left them back with their own thoughts and each other for company.

* * *

"Ruby, think this through. How are you going to save them from the combined might of a detachment of Atlas' military and Vale's?! Even with Dinah, that's still going to be a hard fought victory! There's no possible way to save them!"

"Alexander," Ruby said, her voice low and seething with venom. It bears mentioning that he didn't even try to correct her or say his usual 'it's Alec' nonsense. "Shut up." It was simple, those two words. And yet he obeyed them without question. Her eyes began to lose the light of sanity, and began to show a psychotic glint. She was no longer thinking properly. Anyone who knew Ruby, and even those who would only just now meet her, could see that there was only one thing on her mind. She was about to kill. She would hear no other plans. To say that heads would roll would be a complete understatement.

It was time for her to finally show the world just who in the hell they were messing with. This wasn't going to be like a few years ago when she went in with a small group of Grimm she thought were strong. This time, she was bringing enough of them to level an Oumdamned city. Soldiers will die. A Schnee will die. Anyone who even _remotely_ stands between her and her targets will die. This time, it will not be an indiscriminate fight based off of chance and timing. It will not be a random encounter with some unlucky schmuck who unfortunately recognizes her and tries to be a hero. This time, the Queen was ready to fight.

This world was unreasonable. This world was flawed, messed up. Ruby was tired of looking up at her targets. It was time to flip the table of power on it's head. And when they look up at her and beg forgiveness and mercy, praying to whatever god would hear their pleas for aide, she would simply look down and ask "Why?" Why did they deserve something they've never given? Why did they deserve something that they'd never bothered to answer themselves? They didn't, and Ruby was well aware of that. So meticulously, she was planning. She was mobilizing her Grimm, and getting together everything she would need. Whether Sang, Ebony, Elena, Alec, and whoever else would join her or not did not mean a thing. Where Ruby was going, what she was planning. It was not something for a person to participate in. Herself? She was no longer a person, as far as the world was concerned. So she would go where only her kind could. She would go where only _monsters_ dared to tread.

* * *

The Red Queen was no longer going to sit back quietly. Remnant wanted a battle? They'll get a bloody war.

* * *

**Author's Note**

**Hello, it's me again. I'm going to be brief now. Yes, Weiss is now **_**the biggest**_** bitch in the entirety of The Red Queen AU. Her goal is to use Yang and Jaune to lure out Ruby, something she herself is one hundred percent sure will work. Seems it did. Where will this head? Well, wherever I go with it. You'll see.**

**For now, I'll be slowing down again due to work related reasons. Expect a new update somewhere between November and December. Sorry about the next wait, but life is currently beating the ever loving shit out of me. Go figure.**

**Anyhow, the usual still applies here. Send in the love like always. Comments, criticisms (constructive only), and concerns are appreciated, but limit them to the comments section. Keep the hate to yourself please, or at least find a way to make it less offensive. **

**I love you all, thank you for continuing to read, and I will continue to do my utmost to bring you The Red Queen where applicable. Good night.**

**Dravyn out!**


	14. The Crimson Regent Part 1

"Weiss, are you sure you want to go through with this? I mean even if this works, won't your old classmates hate you for this?"

"Winter," Weiss began, cutting her sister off again. "I know. But you must also know that we need this bait to capture the Red Queen. The plan isn't to actually hurt them, you know this. Even if I have to make them think they're in trouble to help fool the general public too, then so be it."

"Weiss," Winter sighed, again thinking that her sister's logic was indeed sound if not slightly dark. "I know this is your plan, and I'm hoping more than anything that it does help us finally stop the Red Queen, but can't you at least let your friends know about it? Although you're using them, as you so crudely put it, as bait, can't you at least let them know what you're planning on doing and getting them to cooperate? In the end, we can still get in trouble for this even if we get the Red Queen."

"If we succeed, I doubt anyone will want to try and criticize us. Especially if this allows us to finally bring down the infamous Red Queen."

"So is this why you wanted me to look up your old friends for you? To use them in this plan so you'd have someone more understanding of what it is you're hoping to accomplish here?" Winter could only sigh at her sister's thought processes. And she could only also worry about the possible ramifications this would hold for her should the Red Queen not show up. "This will not end well."

"Don't worry Winter. We already have several layers of insurance in place, so just go along with the plan. We'll draw her out, then end her reign once and for all. And when the dust settles, we'll be the ones on top."

"Let's hope so Weiss," Winter sighed. "Let's hope so."

* * *

While the sisters plotted to end the Red Queen's reign in their hushed voices, so too did another meeting take place. Inside the headmaster's office at Beacon Academy sat a group comprised of Ozpin, Qrow, Taiyang Xiao Long, and Glynda. Of course, two of the current members gathered were more than likely to start breaking into a fit of rage soon.

"Ozpin, tell me why the hell we're just standing by here while my niece and that Arc kid are sentenced to be killed tomorrow? Tomorrow! Tomorrow my only other niece gets taken away!" Qrow was in an uproar. Of course this was caused by the stress of Yang being arrested, summarily accused of aiding the Red Queen, being subject to the death sentence, and likely also the result of him finally deciding to try and quite alcohol. "Why are we just sitting here and not going to bash in Ironwood's damn face?!"

"Qrow," Taiyang began, the venom obvious in his voice. "I understand how you feel. More than you know. They're attempting to execute my daughter here. If Ozpin hadn't reasoned with me, I may have already gone to pummel James into the next world." Taiyang was, of course, not much better off than Qrow right now. He raised his daughters the best he could, only to find out that one was nearly murdered and became the worlds most infamous criminal, and the other was going to be executed by a damn Schnee as a possible accessory to his other daughter's crimes. It was enough crap weighing on his mind that it would surprise nobody present if he were to snap and make good on his earlier word of pummeling General Ironwood. Then again, one of the present company would likely cheer him on as he did so.

"Qrow, Taiyang, I understand the two of you are worried."

"Worried? I'm beyond worried Ozpin. I'm about ready to go and finally do to Jimmy what I should have done years ago."

"I'm in agreement with Qrow on this."

"Gentlemen, please. We need to calm down and come up with a plan of action."

"Oh no Glynda, don't you dare try to give me that shit." At this point, Ozpin and Glynda were considering handing Qrow a bottle of Scotch or something just to calm him down. Then again, being sober longer than a week was already an accomplishment enough, and they figured it gave him the right to be pissed. Okay, make that beyond pissed. "Right now he's planning something that-"

"Qrow," Ozpin interrupted him. "I can't possibly understand how this must feel, but I have some news for you. Both of you. This is why I'd gathered the two of you here in the first place. Had I left you alone, it would be likely that I'd be having to plan to rescue two more people."

"Well then, out with it. What's this news you've heard about my daughter's fate?" The sheer anger and impatience in his voice made Ozpin recall a phrase he'd heard a while back. 'Papa Wolf'. That seemed to aptly describe Taiyang Xiao Long right now. His daughter's life was being threatened, and he looked about ready to rain hell upon whoever he needed to to save her.

"Well if you would allow me to finish what I was saying?" Raising an eyebrow, Ozpin looked to the two distressed men before continuing on with what he was saying before. "I've recieved word from Ironwood right now that this is a ruse. One apparently thought up by Colonel Winter Schnee-"

"That bitch!" Qrow shouted, anger seething through his features even more now. But Ozpin didn't miss a beat and continued.

"To lure out the Red Queen of Grimm by claiming to have her associates as bait."

"While it may work due to Miss Rose having a relation to both Miss Xiao Long and Mister Arc, there should be several notable flaws with this plan to the higher echelons of the Atlas and Vale Militaries. For starters, why would news of two random hunters suspected of being in league with the Red Queen draw her out? It's a stretch by any normal standard." Glynda threw in her own opinion, the thoughts having come together after Ozpin had received word from Ironwood earlier that morning.

"So what? You're saying someone knew about Ruby's relation to Yang and the Arc kid?"

"Precisely Qrow. They could have chosen two random soldiers to play the part, correct? Instead, they decided to use two random hunter's instead,who both just so happen to have a history with the Red Queen. If this is a coincidence then it surely is a one in a million chance."

"Now that you bring this to mind Glynda, do you remember the name of the officer who suggested this trap?" Ozpin asked, a thought crossing his mind.

"Colonel Winter Schnee. Why do you...?" Glynda stopped herself, the gears connecting into place. Even with limited time and access to the facts, she'd arrived to the same conclusion as Ozpin. Something, of course, that was beyond Qrow and Taiyang's capacity to figure out, both lacking the prerequisite knowledge that came from being professors in Beacon.

"What? Come on, out with it!"

"What's all this about? Why are you two both showing a face that seems like you just figured something out?" Both Qrow and Taiyang immediately besieged Ozpin and Glynda with their questions, each trying to figure out what they'd both figured out.

"Five years ago," Ozpin began. "Five and a half years ago when we first admitted Ruby into the academy, she of course had chosen a partner during the school's initiation much like every other student. Her partner was Weiss Schnee, sister of Colonel Winter Schnee. She was also one of those who's failed attempt at hurting Ruby led to her becoming the Red Queen."

"Wait. You're saying the heiress to a multi million Lien company was among those who harmed my daughter, and that she's connected to the woman who has my other daughter currently locked up and awaiting an execution?"

"Correct. She already knew that Ruby had become the Red Queen, something that had become obvious after her small troupe of Grimm had attacked Beacon half a decade ago. It's entirely likely that Miss Schnee realized that Ruby may still care about her family, especially since Ruby was spotted on the island of Patch. An island that, need I remind you, has no high level Grimm nor bounties and is considered relatively peaceful by most standards. If she put two and two together, she may have figured it out. After that, it was likely a simple matter for her to be able to use family connections and influence to get the two arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced in the manner they were."

"So what do we do then, let these bastards take away my other daughter?"

"Calm down Taiyang. Trust me when I say nothing can possibly come from this."

"What are you talking about?" Qrow looked at Ozpin with a mixture of confusion and inquiry on his face. It may have been the lack of alcohol in his system, but Qrow was more or less struck dumb by Ozpin's words. Then again, this was Ozpin so no doubt he had some sort of plan.

"It's simple Qrow. I have in my possession damning evidence that could thoroughly destroy the reputation of the current heir to the Schnee Dust Corporation. I made sure that Weiss, and the others who survived that night, knew that I had their very fates in my hand. I told them that the only way they could redeem themselves and keep me quiet was to spend their lives staying as hunters. They took a promising young girl from us, and I made sure they would have to work to make up for her absence. Or so I told them anyhow. We need every available hunter out there working, with even criminals not being exempt. I just needed to be sure that a leash would be attached to their collars."

At this reveal, both Taiyang and Qrow looked on at Ozpin with some newfound respect. Here was a man they'd known to always known to be calm, collected, and intelligent. And yet he displayed a restraint in that situation that gave the two of them a new perspective on the man himself. Where most would have happily sent those students to a prison to rot for life, possibly even have them end up in the special units composed of criminals that are sent to go and fight until their deaths. No. He gave them a chance to still go on about their lives, but made sure that they could never abandon that path. They were stuck as being hunters, no matter what fate they would have rather wished for. And if they ever tried to stop, Ozpin would either blackmail them into returning to the fray, or completely end their lives as regular people. Instead of simply cornering them, he gave them options. It was a great way to control them.

"And yet she still seems to be plotting something. The problem is, I can't tell exactly what it is she plans to do here."

"Well then Ozpin, quit thinking about it so hard. I'm going to go and have a look." Qrow got up from his seat and began for the door.

"Then I'll-" Taiyang began, before Qrow raised his hand to interrupt him.

"Stay here. Your daughters are gonna need a home to return to. Besides, I'm just going to pay a visit to Jimmy. I won't need any help for that." Saying so Qrow went back to walking out, his gait steady and without sway. He gave up drinking for his nieces. He sure as hell wasn't going to let this sort of situation do anything to deter him from protecting them.

* * *

It had been several days since he'd been thrown in here. Both Yang and himself that is. Jaune was trying to keep the number of days in mind, especially after having the bombshell dropped by the courts on the decision of their impending deaths. Of course he wasn't just acting like a prisoner and mulling about. He was actively keeping himself engaged by working himself out in whatever way he could, or by reading. Surprisingly, they were rather nice to prisoners in this regard. The food was better than what could be expected for death row prisoners, and they had a surprising degree or freedom with their time. Which led Jaune to do some questioning as to the situation he was in.

To begin with, it made little sense to him that he was thrown into this situation as quickly as he was. He and Yang had just left the terminal when they were surrounded and hauled off to prison. And then in less time than it should take to even put a case together, he and Yang were found guilty as conspirators to Ruby- no, the Red Queen- , and in quick order the two of them were sentenced to public execution. It was fast. Way too fast in fact. And to further complicate the situation was the simple fact that Weiss personally came down to explain this to them. That Weiss was involved had set flags off in Jaune's head. But even with the free time, it was kind of hard to piece it all together himself. And sadly, Yang wasn't quite as gifted in the department upstairs. For sure she could beat any sort of Grimm in the face until it's head caved in. Anyone who'd been on the receiving end of a beat down from her could attest to that. But as her grades have shown, she tends to act more and think less. She was by no means dumb. Yang had a fair bit of street smarts, and she employed it quite often. But in these kinds of situations, her first thought was to simply punch Weiss in the face. Something that Jaune currently couldn't help but desire as well. Heck, he'd probably stop Yang just so that he himself could get the first strike in. But alas, chivalry was not dead. And one part of it's teachings emphasized kindness to the fairer sex. Didn't mean that he would stop Yang from doing it though.

Currently Jaune was writing in a notebook he had requested from the guards. He jokingly told them he was trying to write a memoir to leave behind, to tell his story to the masses. They took the joke as the ramblings of a desperate man, and gave him a small one. But inside the pages were not the words of a journal, nor the ramblings of a desperate man as expected. No. They were the musings of one trying to put his thoughts in order.

He had managed to think of a few things, but they mostly got ruled out by other thoughts that would appear later. One conclusion was reached thanks to Weiss, and that is how the current plan seems to be to try and lure Ruby, the Red Queen, by spreading word of executing her "followers". However, looking at the plan from the perspective of anyone with a modicum of intelligence or insight would show a few problems. Namely, the questionable tactic of using two random people to lure the Red Queen by calling them her followers. If the upper brass had allowed such a plan, what made them confident it would work? It was one major thing that Jaune couldn't figure out, and it nagged at him.

"Hey, Vomit Boy. You awake?"

"Huh?" Looking up from his little book, Jaune looked towards Yang. Well, to be precise he was actually looking at the wall between their cells. "Yes?"

"I've been thinking," Yang began, words that immediately made Jaune think some rather unnecessary and rude things. But ignorant of this, Yang continued. "Isn't it strange how we were thrown in here so quickly? What do you suppose Weiss is up to anyhow? I can't believe she could get permission to use us as bait and then let us get killed. Especially not in such a public place. What do you suppose is her plan?"

Jaune was kind of surprised. This was more thought from Yang than he had expected. Still, it more or less matched up with his train of thought. He was genuinely impressed. But he still worried. Especially because of Ruby.

Currently, the situation seemed to be going under the assumption that Ruby would come out of hiding to save the two of them. But would it really work that way? For one, does Ruby even still care about he and Yang like that? No. For starters, shouldn't he be asking whether or not Ruby even still cared period?Even if she came to see Yang, there could be a number of other reasons. Despite there being no major Grimm, she could have just been looking for new ones as fodder. Or perhaps she could have come to see if she even cared still, and felt nothing when she saw them. Even if she still seemed to care when he saw her before, how could he be sure that was how she felt? Or even if she felt that way still, would it be worth her coming to a public spectacle under heavy guard to try and rescue them?

All of this and then some ran through Jaune's head in the moment between Yang speaking to him, and him making a reply.

"I don't know Yang." Jaune said, letting his thoughts drift slightly. "But I do know that it's going to be hectic soon."

In a way, Jaune kind of thought that such words were prophetic. He didn't know exactly why, but he felt as though something was going to go down soon. Mostly like the next day. If anything, that would be the best venue.

* * *

After a restless night for many, the day of the public spectacle had arrived. Taking place in one of the largest coliseum's in Vale, modled after one used by an ancient civilization for combat purposes, the place boasted of enough seating for over five hundred thousand spectators. Most of those seats were expected to be filled today. And in the middle of this large coliseum were displayed several large screens which show off many of the battles that have taken and will take place there. And it was here that the setup was placed for the coming event. And yet, despite the preparation, nobody was comfortable with the thought of their "special guest" showing up. Even the military itself had trouble with soldiers requesting leave for the day to avoid the thought of having to be on duty this day. But of course, those weren't the only problems they had to deal with. It's understandable if it were simply an elephant in the room, but this problem was more like a shadow in an alleyway. Nobody had even noticed it yet. What was this trouble?

Obviously it was the little red hooded girl sitting atop the edge of the roofless arena, humming a tune and grinning underneath her mask at the thought of the "fun" she was about to have.

* * *

"Time for a hunt."

* * *

***Author's Note***

**I'm so sorry!**

**Please, before you direct your anger at me for being gone so long, I apologize profusely. Due to work, I had to go out of country for a bit, and I may or may not have forgotten my laptop... Okay, yeah. I forgot my laptop. And my tablet. And while I wanted to write with my phone, I can barely type on that damn thing. It took me a day to get down a hundred words. My phone's autocorrect sucks, so I had to keep going back and manually reinputting everything, redoing most of the words, adding punctuation in where it was left out. Eventually I decided to scrap it and just wait until I got home. I'm so sorry!**

**Again, please forgive me. I really am sorry. **

**Uhm, so yeah. New chapter. Yay. Not much else aside from the apologies. I'll leave you with the usual stuff. Comments, criticism (constructive and/or positive please), and concerns are welcome. Hate is discouraged, but even the haters seem to be fans so I'll accept it. Keep it limited to the comments section though. I'm not going to name people, but my inbox kind of expanded in my absence. Please do keep in mind that going through those takes time, and slows me down. Anyhow, meh.**

**Dravyn out!**


	15. The Crimson Regent Part 2

The Vale Coliseum. It is one of the oldest surviving structures in Vale, still existing from the era where guns were just coming to be and steel was a primary resource when creating lasting structures. That it had withstood the test of time was only testament to the care and ingenuity with which it was erected. Of course a few enhancements have been made over the years, mostly to keep the building up to the current health and safety standards. But aside from those, the structure has stayed largely the same. In both design, and purpose.

Today, Jaune Arc and Yang Xiao Long are to be executed for their treason against the state by siding with the SS~ Ranked criminal, The Red Queen of Grimm. Unlike the older days however, when a beheading or a firing squad were used, modern executions were also used as a means of entertainment. Those accused of a heinous crime, found guilty, and handed the death sentence were placed in the arena, weaponless and armorless, and made to fight until death by wave after wave of imprisoned Grimm kept securely underneath the structure. Not many large or powerful Grimm were kept down there, but the number was by no means small. It was enough to give punishment to even the strongest of those scumbags sent to die here.

And it was here, on the grounds were countless bodies have fallen and a ocean of spilled blood has left the sandy grounds with a slight lingering stench of death and rust, that Jaune and Yang stood. They knew the fate of all those sentenced to stand in this arena. They knew they could not possibly hope to escape. And they knew that today blood would be spilled. Theirs, or somebody's. Both knew the situation was grim, pun be pardoned, but they also knew that there was another possibility. A possibility that a certain red haired, crimson cloaked girl would come with the shadows she reigned over and lay waste to any and every living person, human or faunus, that stood in her path.

It was assumed, by nearly everyone not in the spectator's seats, that she would show. This was, after all, a performance for the Queen. They wanted to lure her, to bring her here and subdue her before all of these people. Prove the might of law enforcement, the might of the military. Of the hunters. All who had reason to dread her existence and want it snuffed out. And yet she was not here. None of them had found here. None of them had so much as even heard whisper of seeing a red cloaked girl. It bewildered them. They were told that today's events, the rumors of the Red Queen's associates, all of it would lure her out. So then why the silence? Where was she?

"Weiss, we can't keep this up. The time of the execution is approaching, and she's yet to appear. If the Red Queen doesn't show up, we'll have to pardon those two. And even if she does, that will effectively ruin their futures." Winter Schnee had, once again, voiced her concerns and doubts over her younger sister's plans. The current situation inspired zero confidence as to the effectiveness, and of course she was no different.

"It's fine Winter. We'll keep it going. Those two down there should be able to last a few rounds at least. I don't think much of the guy, but the blonde can easily hold her own with just her fists. After a few waves, we can say new evidence has been presented that leaves their guilt in doubt, and if necessary pay them a settlement to gloss over the issue." Weiss was set in her plans. It had to attract the Queen. She knew that the Queen still loved her family. She proved that with her actions, and it was that care that Weiss would use. She would erase this evil, her past with it, and become a hero in one simple swoop. She had to. "Let's just keep it going Winter."

"Fine," Winter said, heaving a large sigh onto the word. "We'll have it your way. But the Atlas Military will push all responsibility onto you and the company should this plan fail. You are aware, right?"

"I am. And I'm also fine with that. She will come."

Winter again sighed, though this time mostly to herself. She couldn't fathom where Weiss, where her younger sister could possibly get this confidence from. This entire plan has so far shown no fruit. And the execution was coming up. It would be reasonable if she was nervous, worried over the consequences of her likely-to-fail plan. But no. She sat there, her face cold as a steel dagger, sure of her plan.

Of course, this silence didn't last long. A few second later, the door to the office the two were sitting in was suddenly, and quite violently, kicked open. And the foot that made it happen was connected to none other than a certain drunk hunter.

"SCHNEE!" Rage was written across Qrow's face plain as day. Teeth bared as though ready to leap at the throats of the two Schnee siblings. Perhaps it was the lack of alcohol, but his anger seemed particularly fierce today. "What in the hell are you doing to my niece?!" Or maybe it was his protective instincts towards his family.

His intrusion was, without question, unexpected. Weiss was surprised and confused, honestly unaware of what to do at this sudden intruder. The stone cold stare from earlier replaced with something akin to worry. Of course Winter had a completely different reaction. After a brief flash of surprise, she regained her composure and immediately questioned him back.

"What do you think you're doing? This is a private office!" Instantly switching to her military persona, Winter challenged Qrow's right to be there. Of course she should've known he wouldn't actually care. Of course he didn't.

"What the hell are you doing to my niece!?"

"Qrow, your niece and her friend have been found to be guilty of aiding the Red Queen of Grimm in her terrorist activities towards the people of Remnant. What do you expect to be her punishment, huh?"

"Guilty, huh? You call that farce a trial? I know what you're planning, and I won't let you put Yang in harm's way to try and lure out some psychopath like the Red Queen! Release them now, or _I will._"

"Qrow, this is for the greater good of Remnant as a whole. I cannot allow your emotions to get in the way of our plan." Winter carefully moved her hand towards her saber. "If you insist on ruining this, I will be your opponent."

"Oh boy. Listen here girly," Qrow began, moving his own hand to the blade resting in the sheathe on his lower back. "I haven't had a drink in a long time, and this bullshit is causing my blood pressure to enter a very dangerous zone. Right now, I have half a mind to go all 'Red Queen' on you and your damn sister here, and go take my niece back with force. Jimmy wouldn't listen, you won't listen, and I honestly have no patience for Ozpin's plans right now. _Give. Me. My. Niece._"

The two stared at each other, muscles tensed and ready to spring into action in a moment. Each carefully looked the other over, waiting for a sign, a single twitch of a muscle, to attack. Weiss was still, unmoving. She didn't know what was going on, and was only getting the gist of it from the discussion. This was Ruby and Yang's uncle. He knew what they were trying to do. And he was angry. Very, very angry. And a fight was about to break out that might turn this space into a warzone. But before she could gather up the ability to even mutter the word 'Stop', a sound was heard from the monitor. The crowd was in a frenzy.

* * *

It started with an innocent question.

"Mommy, why is that person sitting up there?"

Yes. Despite the numerous trained soldiers and hunters on the look out, the Red Queen was spotted by a child. Why one was at such an event as this was a question anyone from the child protective services would likely ask, but that's a situation for another time. It started with that question, and suddenly more and more people looked toward the spot the child's eyes rested upon. And they too all saw it. Saw her. Saw the red and black garbed person sitting high above them on the coliseum. Eventually even the cameras turned toward the figure, zooming in as best they could and getting the view on the monitor. What they could see incited a small panic.

It was a girl with small frame, wearing all black and red. On her face was a mask of the whitest alabaster with streaks of crimson red. And over her shoulders and head were a cloak, red as roses. And she just sat there. At least until it seemed that she had finally noticed she was seen. And then she jumped.

"Huh, took them long enough to spot me." Ruby mused to herself. She was perfectly content to sit there for another minute or two, but she supposed now was as good a time as any.

Giving a low whistle, she pushed herself off of the roof. Now usually this would end up with a nice splat, but she had her plans. Before falling far, a shadow flew down from the sky and caught her. It was a Nevermore, a wingspan of roughly twenty feet or so, that swooped in and allowed her to safely ride her way down. After getting close enough to the ground, Ruby hopped off of it's back for real and landed on her feet. After standing herself up straight, she grabbed the hem of her skirt on both sides with her hands, bent her knees slightly, and gave a small, elegant curtsy. It was something Elena had insisted she learn to do properly a while back, as she reasoned all ladies should know how to curtsy, and Ruby figured it would be great for the theatrics. Of course the spectators had quieted down, staring numbly at the scene before them. Even the hunters and soldiers were stunned for a second, the scene being so unexpected that they forgot how to react, even if only for the briefest moment.

"I-it's the Queen! Men, surround her!"

Some nameless soldier barked out a very basic and quick command, and the rest jumped into action. Dozens of soldiers swiftly flooded into the arena and surrounded the her, attempting to cut off any escape path. At least fifty total men and women of armed service had her surrounded.

"It isn't a red carpet, but I suppose this sort of welcome is acceptable as well." Even now, Ruby was still cracking a smile underneath her mask. It did not matter if they brought one, ten, or a hundred of these paper soldiers before her. They, like so many others, die off so easily. Even before such a show of force, Ruby never twitched. It was as she was contemplating killing a few of them off that something happened.

From the entrance where the soldiers poured out came another person. Dressed immaculately in white and diamonds came strolling out Weiss Schnee. The moment Ruby had appeared, the conflict with Qrow was forgotten. She rushed out to the arena, hoping to catch a sight of the phantom that had haunted her for these past years.

"So the legendary Red Queen of Grimm has decided to grace us with her presence? I suppose we should be honored then. So I take it those two chained up over there really are your accomplices then?" Weiss delivered her lines as though she was a magnificent actress. Her face stoic and businesslike, she didn't miss a beat when questioning Ruby.

"Hmm? Accomplices? Is it Alice? Or maybe Dinah. But I don't see you being able to take them down so easily princess. Either would easily crush that flimsy sword you keep at your waist."

This is how it was now. In a modern world where any information can be accessed by even a child, knowing her name would cause Ruby's activities as the Red Queen to grow immensely harder to perform. She wanted right now just to rip Weiss' throat out and toss it into the stands. She wanted to go over to Yang and give her a hug, or to go to Jaune and apologize for kicking him with steel toed boots before. But she couldn't. She had to maintain this farce to protect herself.

And yet on the other side, Weiss was no different. If she herself did not maintain a farce, she would be ousted as the one who caused the rise of The Red Queen. Of course being known as susch might end up being more detrimental than actually being the Red Queen. After all, it is due to her actions five years ago that The Red Queen ended up wanting to do what she does. And all because she was a greedy, self serving child. But even having been technically a minor at that time would not protect her. There are laws in place to try a criminal, but the punishment for Weiss would be enacted by no judge, or jury. The executioner would simply come for her. So she had to bury this past under a web of lies.

And because of this, the two women who once stood side by side as partners now looked at each others from across this arena, faces not betraying their own anger and discontent with the situation. Both sides wanted to bury the other, and neither could make the wrong move without arousing suspicion as to who they are/ what they'd done. And so this stalemate would only be broken when one of these two actresses messed up their lines.

"Don't play dumb with me Queen. I'm talking about the two blondes currently standing in the middle of the arena."

"Well I've never heard of a blonde Grimm, so that kind of narrows the list down to nobody. Hmm." Completely disregarding their existence, Ruby entered that moment that existed just for her, and flew past her welcoming party. In the moment one could barely have so much as blinked, she had already passed the two and stood before Yang and Jaune. Exaggeratedly, Ruby Put her hand up to her chin and gave off a sound of intrigue as she pretended to look the two over. "Huh. Either Grimm have evolved to such an impressive point, or these two are humans."

After her little stunt, the soldiers were now more cautious, aware that any one of them could have been cut down as the Queen passed them by. And yet, much like ants, she decided to ignore their tiny existences. It was a act that showed just how far above them she was, and how little their presence meant. And to Weiss, it was just another little show to irritate her.

"Quit with these theatrics you charlatan! We know these two work in your service, and that is precisely why you are here. To break them out! Don't try to deny these facts!" Of course Weiss could only fire back with something so logical. But even if it was the only way to keep up her act, she realized that had essentially just made a point that would doom the two. With that bit of doubt, there was no chance people would accept their being released. And yet a part of her didn't care. She had to bury her past with the Red Queen. And these two were a part of it. As they could still speak even when the Queen was gone, the two of them going away would have no impact on her. On one shoulder, her conscience whispered to her. And on the other, her practical and logical half began to tempt her. With all that she'd done to get here, of course the latter was winning.

"Right, the news report did mention something like that," Ruby said, tapping the lower part of her mask where her chin would be. "But no, I have no idea who these two are. A bimbo with needlessly huge lumps of fat on her front would probably end up tripping over herself in a fight, and the guy doesn't seem like he could even hold his own with my weakest Creep. In terms of combat potential, they seem pitiful."

"Don't try to lie to us. Why else would you be here for, if not them?!"

"Well that should be obvious, right? I heard there would be a Schnee here. If anything, this entire event just seems kinda pointless." Taking another long look at Jaune, Ruby had a thought. "But the more I look at him, the guy does seem kind of handsome. How about it?" Ruby asked him, moving her hand to gently hold his face. "Would you like to come with me?"

With this one question, everyone in the field froze. The spectator seats watched with curiosity, while the soldiers and the Schnee paused up from that question. Just what was the Red Queen planning?

"You're pretty handsome, and I am looking for a nice king. So how about it? If you're worried about escaping, do not. Trust me, it would be no issue to simply kill everyone here." When this line was delivered, every soldier and civilian in that arena felt their spines freeze and their blood turn to ice. The suggestion that an SS~ class criminal who could freely control Grimm just said that she would kill them was not a matter to be taken lightly. Especially after her display of speed earlier, it could be argued that right now, nobody was safe. "And if you want, I could even take your little friend here with you, if you'd like. All I'd have to do is simply kill everyone on the way to the exit. Or perhaps maybe add a few more bodies to get the point across that they shouldn't follow. But I meant, you will accept, right? After these people needlessly accused you, threw you into a dark cell, and likely mistreated you on some false assumption. Why wouldn't you want them to die?"

The friend and the family she had wanted to see for so long. More than anything, Ruby wanted to take them with her. And with the most seductive and enchanting voice she could muster, she made the deal. It did not matter if only one of them decided to accept, it would be enough. She would do what she must to take them both out of there. But even if they decided to refuse, they would at least be cleared of suspicion. It was a question that gave them a chance. And the first to answer was not Yang, who's mind was still trying to wrap her head around things, but Jaune. The one who could almost see the wizard through the curtain.

"I'm sorry madam," he began, lowering his head slightly as though talking to a true regent. "But I cannot go along with you. You see, I already have somebody in my heart, and even at the risk of being tossed into another dark cell, I'd rather stay."

"She must be so important to you then," Ruby said, her voice being tinged with a subtle hint of sadness. Of course it would be like this. No wonder he wouldn't want to go with the psychotic mass murdering lunatic who keeps Grimm for company.

"She is. My time with her was short, but she was an irreplaceable somebody to me. Right now, she's lost her way and has gone on a journey. So until she finds her way back home, I shall wait for her. No matter how long it takes." As he finished, Jaune allowed a little hint of sorrow to be shown in his expression. These pained words were not a lie. And although she was before him, he still could only feel like there was some sort of force separating the two of them.

"I see." Ruby said, turning away from Jaune. The words he had spoken stirred something in her. A pang of loneliness perhaps? Or maybe a feeling of homesickness? Either way, Vomit Boy had been an irreplaceable friend and means of support for Ruby back in Beacon, and his words just now have reminded her of times that as The Red Queen, she should have left forgotten. "It is a shame really," She said, giving a sigh. "I suppose this girl is lucky to have someone so faithful. Unfortunately though, it doesn't matter to me." Leaning her head back slightly, Ruby gave a loud whistle. It wasn't very much, but it did the trick.

From high in the sky, having been covered by by light of the sun being directly behind them came swooping down three Nevermores, each carrying a Beowolf in there arms. As the bird-like Grimm dropped their packages off, they each again took to the skies and retreated outside of the arena. But now around the Queen was her entourage. The shadows that took the form of beasts to hunt down man had congregated where they belong, at her side. Without even looking back, Ruby gave the order.

"Hunt."

One word, and yet it potentially sealed the fates of the two who were still chained up. But before any one of those soldiers in the arena, or Weiss could react to the scene of Grimm raining from the sky like water, Ruby's 'Wolves were thrown back, parts scattering before her. Wondering about this unexpected turn, Ruby turned to see a lone figure wearing what appeared to be a special version of the Atlesian Military's uniform. Removing the tactical mask that covered her face, the figure assumed a stance and stared directly at Ruby.

"Don't worry friends, I won't let the Queen harm you. I'm combat ready!"

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Yeah, I've been gone for a while. I know. Work is piling up, and so are circumstances. I realize that a lot of you missed me, if my damn inbox is anything to go by (seriously, that thing has more messages asking if I'm still alive than my actual email account has from my family!) But meh, I digress.**

**So we're finally getting somewhere. The current plan as you can see involves bringing a few characters in. Make your theories now, as I'm not sure when I'll get the next chapter out. But this little arc might last a while longer. I have some plans for it, and I'm not too sure where they're gonna go. But hopefully the next one comes out from my fingertips a little quicker.**

**So, a few rapid answers to some questions I'd gotten in my inbox recently.**

**-No, I'm not done with The Red Queen yet. Work, and writer's block, are just making it hard to write nowadays.**

**-I have no compunctions with anyone translating this story to another language. Just run it by me first, and we can talk about it when I get some time.**

**-There are currently no plans to cause unnecessarily gory acts in relation to certain characters (The specific ones I'm talking about will be left to your imagination.) That will definitely come in due time.**

**-I have no intention of using OC Grimm just yet. With that being said, anything currently existing is, especially in a mutated form, fair game. So watch out for that.**

**-I have plans to take more from my primary source material (Alice in Wonderland, for those of you not aware by now) and use it to influence future acts. How this will work? Well, that's for me to figure out, and for you to find out.**

**I think that's all for now. Again people, please stop blowing up my inbox. It's hard to write when my slow ass internet is trying to open up so many messages while I'm trying to simultaneously trying to upload. And my OCD will not allow there to be a number next to my inbox.**

**Anyhow, you all know the usual shtick. Comments, criticisms, and concerns are welcome, as are suggestions (to a limited point). Keep all hate to yourself please, or at least word it as one of the previous formats of a comment, criticism, or a concern if you will. With that, have a nice day.**

**Dravyn out!**


	16. The Crimson Regent Part 3

"I'm combat ready!"

For a second, Ruby couldn't believe her ears, or her eyes. The enemy in front of her now was one of her old friends. Probably no single person Ruby'd ever met before was as unique as the girl before her. Penny. A strange girl Ruby had met back when she was still in Beacon. A young girl who despite all appearances, was actually an android with an Aura. Making her, for all intents and purposes, an artificial person of sorts. A weapon, of sorts, with a soul. And Ruby, the one she now stared down, was her first friend.

Unlike the last time Ruby'd seen her, Penny seemed to be a little bigger. Of course they would have updated her looks to give others the impression that she was growing. This time around, Penny's previously curled orange hair was put into a long, single ponytail with a plain black band tying it together. Her height seems to have gone up a couple of inches too. Her uniform seemed like the regular Atlas military uniform, but with the color pallete swapped to her green, black, and grey scheme, among a few other small changes. All in all, it seemed more or less like just an older version of the Penny that ruby knew. Which, remembering just how strong she was before, this seemed like a very bad situation for Ruby.

"Aw crap. I do _not_ need to be dealing with this right now," she mumbled under her breath. This situation was not very favorable for Ruby. She had her ways of dealing with the hunters who came after her, or the faceless soldiers that followed their orders to try and apprehend her. Those were no major issue. But Ruby had seen Penny taking down Bullhead's with brute force by herself before. As in she literally pulled the thing out of the sky. Her weapons, hidden deceptively in the pack on her back, consisted of multiple blades attached by thin, but durable, wire, to her. Using her Aura, she could control the blades with precision, using them in conjunction to dice apart pretty much anything unfortunate enough to have caused Penny to fight.

"Huh, I'd heard the Red Queen traveled with stronger Grimm usually. Was that all?" Penny asked provocatively. She seemed to be trying to instigate Ruby to fight. Or rather, instigate The Red Queen to fight. As the Red Queen herself, Ruby very well couldn't let this challenge go unanswered. Penny stood before her, ready to fight. Ruby was ready to meet that determination head on. Anyone that stood in her way, _anyone_, would fall. No mercy, no purchase. This was the Red Queen's method. It was how she'd survived countless attacks, and how she'd always come out on top. She'd earned her danger ranking, as well as the bounty on her head, for a reason. Friendship would not be her undoing this day. "Come on!"

"You asked for it," Ruby said, sounding somewhat cliche. Raising her right hand somewhat, Ruby connected her middle finger to her thumb and prepared a snap. Normally, this wouldn't be much. But the glove she wore was interlaced with a special Dust mixture to magnify the sound of the snap. Normally, this would maybe be a distraction for your average, unprepared combatant. But it wasn't like she was trying to snap her to death. Hilarious as it may seem, and possibly doable if Alec were to try hard enough, Ruby had other purposes for it. Snapping her fingers, a loud crack came from her hand. "Will this suffice?"

"Huh?" Penny seemed confused for a minute. Looking around, she wasn't sure what was supposed to happen. In fact, it seemed most of the people gathered were also somewhat confused. Only a few seemed to piece together what that snap meant, as several pairs of eyes simultaneously looked towards the skies.

Sure enough they could see a great many figures descending from up high. As the dark shapes grew closer, there was no mistaking their identities. Flocks of Nevermores fell upon the coliseum, each carrying a Grimm or two, size dependant, in their claws. After dropping off their passengers, they flew off faster than they arrived. In the time it took those few to warn their comrades, the stadium held in it's confines dozens of Beowolves, Ursai, Boarbatusks, and Creeps. Some well aged, with a variant or two in their ranks. All in all, quite a decent force. And in the time it took them all to reach the ground, Ruby could only smile like a Cheshire cat under her mask. All these hunters and soldiers, and none of them had thought to reach for a gun or bow. All of them just standing in their little spots, staring like slack-jawed idiots at the sudden force of Grimm that came from the skies above.

"Well?" Ruby shouted to Penny, and the coliseum as a whole. Feet together, and arms splayed. Ruby made a grandiose gesture towards the Grimm around her. One of the Red Queen's most powerful abilities was the fear she instilled into those who witnessed her actions. And she was milking that fear for all it was worth now. "What do you think now, soldier girl? Are they strong enough for you?"

That was the breaking point. At this, every single person in the crowd that wasn't a trained fighter immediately broke into a frenzy. The city they'd always thought was safe was just invaded by several dozens of Grimm. Of course they were going to panic at the mere thought, let alone it actually happen. Of course Ruby motioned for her Grimm to stay still while the civilians ran. She had absolutely no intentions of allowing harm to come to those who have nothing to do with the situation. If they bore no arms, and no will to fight, she wasn't going to attack them. Plus, panic itself is rather infectious. Even those who stood up with the intention of fighting Ruby felt the panic from the fleeing citizens, causing even their hearts to waver in this endeavor.

* * *

While all of this was going on outside, Qrow was still inside watching from the office. As the chaos and panic erupted in the coliseum, Winter had tried to take over, barking orders to her subordinates to escort the civilians out and arm themselves to fight the Red Queen. Qrow, meanwhile, just stayed watching the monitor on the screen. He was paying close attention to everything he saw, especially the Red Queen. No, to his niece. To Ruby. He paid careful attention to her every move. Of course, when you compared his knowledge to the others out there he knew a little more about the situation. Well, excepting his other niece and her friend.

With what he knew about Ruby, the actions she took out there were completely unexpected. Ruby was by no means unintelligent, but this was not the kind of stuff she would normally think of. If anything, he would say she was closer to being naive or inexperienced in the ways of the world. But her actions here today showed a lot more thought and planning than he normally would have guessed she was capable of. She was a gifted weapon smith, and had great talent with fighting. But to plan for this to work out as well as it was, it showed that she'd changed. This wasn't his niece in the coliseum right now. It was the entity known as The Red Queen of Grimm.

"Damnit. Just what has happened to you? Why did you become this?" All Qrow could do was whisper these questions to the wind. He had, for so long, cared for both of his nieces. Being there for them long after his sister had more or less abandoned the family. He'd been with them as they'd grown up. nd seeing Ruby like this, he could only question what things had to have happened to her to turn her into this. . . person.

"Qrow! What are you doing just standing there?!" Once her attention was given just a little leeway, Winter started barking at Qrow again. "We need every hand we can get out there, and I know you're a trained huntsman!"

"Tch." Qrow clicked his tongue. Of course she was going to try and use him here too. He's a good hunter, and she was well aware. Thing is, he just couldn't bring himself to care. Except for the two still down in the arena who were bound and unable to defend themselves. "Shut up. I'll go, but I won't be saving your men!" Qrow said, slamming his hands down to emphasize his point. Turning to leave, his hand unconsciously shifted to his blade. "I'm going to get my niece and her friend out of there. After that, I'm leaving with them."

"You're going to abandon these people?!"

"Not my problem. Besides, The Red Queen, if you look at her past record, only targets hunters and soldiers. The civilians are in no real danger if they get out of here. And I plan to ensure those two leave with them." Turning his head to face Winter one more time, Qrow gave a stare to her that could only be described as 'If you try to stop me, I will turn around and kill you.' "I know those two are innocent, as do you. The Red Queen is here for you and your sister. If you survive this, you _will_ acquit my niece and her friend. If not, you'll wish the Red Queen had killed you today." No more words. Qrow turned his back to Winter and headed towards the Coliseum to meet his niece. Forecasts predict some scattered clouds and a mild rain of blood. Lovely weather for a reunion.

* * *

Peeking around a little, Ruby took note of how many people remained. A few scattered civilians either paralyzed with fear, or still scrambling to escape. Some who looked like hunters, likely hired to be here in case she showed up. And the soldiers, most of which were shaking in their boots. It's not exactly a secret that their equipment sucked when up against stronger Grimm. Against maybe a few year old Beowolf or Ursa, they'd be fine. But ones with more plates and muscle? That was suicide. Well, Ruby was well aware that the Grimm she brought today would be exterminated. They were all the expendable ones anyhow. She left most of her strongest ones back, as well as a majority of her troops.

Her current numbers were enough to shake everything up here, as well as provide a means of escape if necessary. She did have her trump card, but she saw no immediate need to bring that out. After all, the current situation didn't really warrant such firepower. Penny would prove to be a headache if she decided to focus on offense, but she was too good natured. If Ruby focused on the weaker combatants, namely the soldiers, Penny would attempt to save them. She was too nice to sacrifice them for a shot at The Red Queen's head. Practically speaking, that would be the smartest idea. But that's just how it was. Well, that's precisely what Ruby would do here today. The Grimm she brought today were simply to open a path between her blade, and a Schnee's throat. That she got the Schnee of her choice to be here, well that's just a bonus.

Underneath her mask, Ruby's silver eyes shone with a glint of madness. Finally, she could finally get her revenge on Weiss. Personally, she wished to have the other three here as well. But life wasn't that convenient. She'd just have to make do with only Weiss for now. But the thought of finally getting to kill her caused her to grin uncontrollably.

Unfortunately for her, that grin didn't last long. Near the far entrance, she could see a figure walking out onto the grounds. And when she finally managed to recognize it, her heart nearly sank. It was her uncle, Qrow. A huntsman that Ruby had long recognized as the strongest one she knew. He was, after all, the one who taught her everything she knew about how to fight. If he was really here to fight her, she wouldn't get the choice. She wouldn't be able to hesitate. She'd have to use everything she had, or else risk defeat.

From his back, Qrow drew his blade and pointed it towards Ruby. Just this action alone nearly caused her to flinch. It was only through sheer willpower that she managed to not even twitch. But beneath her mask and hood, she was sweating. Against her uncle, Ruby could only run. A direct clash with him would prove to be a bad idea.

"Hey, you!" Directly addressing Ruby, Qrow bellowed these words once he was in range. From here, he could charge in on a moment's notice if the need arose. Then again, considering this was Ruby, he knew that the odds of him catching her were extremely low. But his goal was something else entirely.

"And you are?" Ruby shot back, using all of her willpower to keep her voice from wavering as she answered him. She remembered the last time she was face to face with him. It was during a spar, and the memory let her know just how hopeless it is.

"None of your damn business!" This wasn't exactly how she'd imagined a reunion with her uncle, but they each had their roles to play here. "I'm only here to get those two," Qrow said pointing towards Yang and Jaune with his blade, "out of here. From what I understand, they're of no importance to you, correct?"

"Hah, like I'd need any humans! Take them if you wish. But only if you can get out of this coliseum alive, huntsman." Ruby raised a single hand, and gave a small snap. Immediately, three of her pack jumped out and charged at Qrow. They were nothing special, especially as she was aware that it would probably take Dinah to kill Qrow. Alice might be able to slow him down, but ultimately she wouldn't walk away from that fight. Regardless of her inner thoughts, the battle had already proceeded as she'd expected. Qrow's blade had folded into it's gun form, and with three clean shots to their heads the Beowolves she'd sent after him were destroyed. After this, the gun was pointed at her head.

"The next one goes between your eyes!" Qrow's voice was positively dripping with venom. He was angry at this entire situation. And it showed.

"Try it, and those two won't live past the minute." Ruby held up her hand as if to emphasize her point, thumb to middle finger. Ready to snap, and seal their fates.

Qrow could only guess that Ruby was bluffing, and he knew he'd have no choice but to call her on it. Shifting his gun slightly, he took a shot. The bullet flew towards Ruby's hand, not her head, and impacted it, throwing her off. As quick as he could, he sheathed his weapon, and ran towards Yang and Jaune. Scooping the two of them up onto his shoulders, and ran towards the exit. Though her pack moved as if to try and intercept him, Ruby held her hand out in front of them.

"Forget them! Let those cowards flee from us!" Ruby turned again towards the remainder of the enemy. Her sister was safe. Her friend was safe. Her uncle had gotten both out, and had also evacuated too. The situation was good. She no longer had anything to worry about. The ones she cared for were out of harms way for the moment. Now she could focus on the rest. "Our target today is the colonel!" Ruby said she was here for a Schnee's head, and she wouldn't be leaving without one.

"You will not touch her!" Weiss, having been silent before finally spoke up. Ruby mentioning her sister probably snapped her head back into the game. "Right here, right now, you will die Red Queen! Do you really think you can take on all of these people here? There are dozens of hunters here, and twice that number in soldiers! What chance could you possibly have?!"

"If you all fight like the last group of hunters I've killed, then a pretty good one." Said in a matter-of-fact manner, Ruby was now simply taunting Weiss. It was time to have some sweet revenge, and Ruby knew there weren't many threats to her here. Her Grimm would sink their fangs into the fools who stood between her and her mark.

"You seem pretty confident. I wonder if you can be for long."

The voice. It came from a different hunter who was walking forward. Looking toward the source, Ruby felt her blood begin to boil in her veins. The color began to fade from her vision, replacing itself with shades of red. The inside of her head began to go white, only pure rage remaining where logic and carefully crafted plans once were.

"Pyrrha..." The name escaped softly from her lips, coming out as barely more than a hoarse whisper. The second one.

"I'm sorry, but today will be your last day. Your reign of madness will end now." She, Pyrrha Nikos, said as she got into a stance. Blade and shield at the ready, she stood next to Weiss. More and more hunters trickled onto the sand, but Ruby paid no attention to them. Her mind was completely focused on the two before her. There was no time for mercy. There was no holding back. Anyone in her path would now die.

* * *

"Mr. Branwen! Where are we going?! Ruby is back there!"

"Shut up kid! I'm getting you two away from the fight as quickly as I can." Qrow shouted back towards Jaune. He was just managing to get completely out of the arena with Jaune and Yang in tow.

"But uncle Qrow, it's Ruby! Can't you do something?!" Yang pleaded, hoping to get to see her sister properly. Stopping, Qrow put both Yang and Jaune down, destroyed their bindings, and hoisted them to their feet.

"Do you two really not get what's going on? She put up a show to let you two get out of there! You're unarmed, haven't eaten a proper meal in a damn week, and have little capability to fight right now! I'm getting you two out of here, and back to where you're safe!"

"But Ruby-!"

"Will be fine," Qrow consoled Yang, laying his hand on her shoulder. He felt as uneasy as she did. He knew she felt wrong about leaving Ruby to fight a stadium full of people with authority to kill her. "She's strong. If anything, she's much stronger than when I last saw her. And the Grimm following her will likely be strong enough to allow her to break out if she needs to. Once she gets to running, nobody can catch her. So trust in your sister. She'll survive. Our time to get her back will come later."

"It's not Ruby that I'm worried about." Jaune began. "Those Grimm were nowhere near the level of ones she normally brings with her. I'm still concerned with the one she calls 'Dinah'. If that one shows up, those soldiers and hunters won't stand a chance."

"Pft, like I care about Jimmy's guys. My concern right now is you two. We'll-" Qrow was suddenly cut off by a loud yell. It was impossible to mistake it. The yell was Ruby's. But it was not one of fear, nor pain. It was one of pure, primal rage. And one word could be made out from it.

* * *

Ruby was not yelling any profanities. Nor was she hurling insults. She was not conversing with the people before her, nor was she really barking out any orders to her subordinates. They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. But that also works in the reverse. Love can build up over time, but so can hatred. So much negativity, so much rage and anger, all growing in her for the last half of a decade. With just Weiss, she could control herself. Especially in front of those she cared for. Especially to protect them. But with the recent addition of Pyrrha, and the absence of those loved ones, her rage boiled over.

So now she no longer cried for vengeance. Nor did she ask for help from any of her troops. No. This was simply her calling for her strongest ally. Her oldest, most loyal shadow. She was calling for only one being. A call uttered through a shout filled with all her malice and wrath. Only one word was needed. A word heard even to the outside where her friend and her family stood.

* * *

"_**DIIIIIIINNAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!**_"

* * *

***Author's Note***

**Yo. It's me again. Let's just say this chapter is due to me getting enough mental TNT to get rid of that damn writer's block. And Caffeine. May whatever existing diety is out there please bless the man who found out about that stuff. That, or let the guy into Valhalla. Anyhow, this chapter is slightly shorter than normal so I can build up to the next part. Plus, I suppose I get some sort of sick writer's pleasure out of keeping you guys in suspense.**

**Anyhow, good news is that I'm already working on the next chapter. If the momentum keeps up (there's maybe a 10% chance of that, just so you know), it might be out sooner than normal. But that's a maybe. So just watch out in case.**

**Anyhow, another little Q and A thing to answer some questions I got in my inbox, and in the comments section.**

**-Again no, I'm not ending this yet. Just being a bit slow is all. Seriously, free time and sleep are rare for me, so I have to balance them where possible.**

**-There's no plans for a part three at the moment. Truth be told, I was gonna make part two longer and probably end it here. All the questions of a part three have me thinking, but honestly nothing is concrete. Just look out for whatever I do.**

**-Let me be more direct this time: I'm not going to spoil who I'm going to kill next! I'm no George R. R. Martin. There won't be a death every chapter. When one happens, trust me, you'll know. For now, just be patient.**

**And finally, the one question that is completely redundant and, quite frankly, annoying by this point:**

**-This is not a shipping fic, so stop worrying about Ruby and Jaune hooking up! I like that ship, so I'm going to tease the ever loving f*ck out of it, but it doesn't mean it will happen. Its' not a RoseArc/ArSe/Lancaster (forward slash whatever other ship names these two may have or that you'd use) fic. It's a fic about Ruby going all Kratos on a bunch of her old friends! Just enjoy the (as it was so eloquently put by someone in the comments section a while back) badass murder Ruby. **

**Anyhow, my ranting aside, I'll see you next chapter. You all know the deal. Comments, criticisms, and concerns. And please try to keep them in the comments section. Ciao.**

**Dravyn out!**


	17. Red Queen Intermission

_**Dravyn here.**_

_**I know it might seem strange, especially considering this is my first time trying this sort of thing, but this is going to be an intermission to inform you guys of a few things regarding the next chapter.**_

_**The first is that the next chapter is, surprisingly, done. There's just a single catch, and that's that I have no actual wifi to use. I'm going to try and use the Copy-N-Past method to slowly write down what I have (and possibly improve it in the meantime) through the one computer I have available. Expect a possible post in a somewhat timely fashion thanks to this. Again, it's just me trying something new to get the chapter up at a decent time.**_

_**The second is that, surprise, surprise, I actually have two chapters written out on my tablet (which has replaced my currently deceased computer as my go-to writing tool). The thing is, work will make it impossible to have both out. But I may have a chance soon, so the next chapter to come out following this next one will be much sooner than anticipated. Yay.**_

_**The third is that I have just encountered a rather severe case of writer's block. Any further continuation of The Red Queen may take some time. In the meantime, I may just end up having to try something else to get rid of this. At this point, I may end up doing my friend the favor he asked for and write him a fanfic about RWBY pulling some manga shit off (oftentimes, these sorts of projects actually help me get rid of the writer's block, hence the slight pause in continuing following the next two chapters). I apologize for this. Really, my brain is just getting fried from all of the personal crap going on right now around me. **_

_**Well, I suppose that's all I can say for now. There were a few people's comments I wanted to, well... comment on. But due to constricted computer usage, I'll have to nix that idea. I'll try to update you guys at a later time if the process gets delayed. I look forward to hopefully getting the next chapter up in a timely fashion. Ciao~**_

_**Dravyn out!**_


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